Wonderfully Not a Dream
by powapuffer
Summary: One day there, the next, transported further away from home than she thought possible. A girl finds sanctuary in the Curtis household and struggles to forget her old life while trying to create a new one.
1. There's No Going Back

Hello all! This is my first ever fanfiction. Like, the first one I've ever written. It's a big step for me, taking the initiative to publish something online, so criticism of any kind is always welcome! I would love to know what I need to be doing or what I'm already doing well. Thank you for clicking on the link :)

This story takes place before the events of the actual Outsiders book, so the arrival of the character changes the course of events that would have taken place.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters are property of S.E. Hinton. I wish they were mine, though...

Chapter 1: There's No Going Back

There was a bright flash. _Uhhhh…go away. _Another flash. And another.

"Hey,ookay?"

"Jeez, if you don't get up soon…"

"Hey! You lost, little lady?"

_The fu- where a- _"em I?"

A sharp pain in my side jolted me awake. The light flickered rapidly, I was blinking. Things started to come into focus. All I could see was a clear blue sky. You know, I'll never be able to forget the blue sky. How crazy vivid it was.

"Damn, say something! What's your name, broad?"

I make some sort of groaning sound and roll over on my side. _Did someone really just call me broad? Is that supposed to be offensive?_ The hot pavement grains cut into my cheek. Moaning again, I propped myself up on one elbow and blink some more. Someone's crouching down next to me. He seems worried, even a little annoyed. He's prodding my shoulder. Ah, yes. I need to say something.

"Where am I?" I finally manage. I did already try to say that.

There is a strong smell of summer, hot and humid. I can also smell the heavy (and displeasing) cigarette smoke that I remember from the 'bad' kids at my high school. My hands grope blindly for something to pull myself up and fasten on a cottony material. I'm too out of it to care what it is. My vision is clearing up, and I can see houses. Lots of houses. Really old-style houses, ones that look pretty shabby. A part of the neighborhood my dad would probably never let me take a walk in. Even though it's beat down, everything seems so fresh. The air is like the stuff you get at the hospital. Pure.

"This is Oakley Street, in the _east_ side of town." The boy said 'east' like it was supposed to mean something else. I narrowed my eyes skeptically.

"My name's…Alice," I lie, using the first name that came to my mind. I wasn't sure if I could trust him, considering the pretty bad first impression. And if I couldn't, I certainly didn't want him to know who I was.

The boy looked around 17, but he could have been older. Or younger. The way he dressed reminded me of the guys in Grease, like Danny Zuko? Black cut-off t-shirt and jeans. I guess if we were in 1960 he would have looked pretty cool, smoking a cigarette and giving me a lofty gaze. I studied my surroundings again, remembering my hand and ripping it off of his shirt. I pushed myself off the ground and brushed off gravel from my bare legs and arms.

Without saying more, I pulled out my cell phone and tried to call my mom. Nothing worked, and after ten minutes of calling every person I knew, I sighed and slipped the phone back into my pocket. My stupid phone didn't get service anywhere.

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but it's very nice to meet you. Can I borrow your cell?" I ask him, gesturing to a rectangular block in his front pocket. "My carrier is a piece of crap." I smile at him jokingly and try to fill the silence. That sounded pretty good. My speech was comprehensible.

He looked at me and his eyes flickered for a moment. "Look, I don't want no trouble. So keep that thing away from me." He nodded at my pocket where my phone was and lifted his hands, displaying that he wasn't holding anything.

The corner of my mouth twitched in amusement. I decide to keep the phone away, so I can figure things out. "Alright then…? What's your name?"

The boy smiles at this, back to being confident and cool. He took a long drag from his cigarette.

"Well," he says, pausing and blowing the smoke off to the side, "the name's Keith. But everyone just call me Two-Bit. Not sure where they got that from." He finished sarcastically and rapped his knuckles on his head.

I wrinkle my nose. "Are you old enough to be smoking?" I challenge.

"Hm? Uh…yes? What do I look, five years old?" He laughed at me and slung an arm around my shoulders, continuing to smoke. He began walking me down the sidewalk, staring down my shirt ever so obviously.

"Aha, excuse me? What do you think you're doing?" I protest, shrugging out from under his arm and frowning again. What kind of guy does that? Do I look like a slut today, or something?

Of course, I decided to stay with him. He hadn't tried anything too strange and seemed to be mostly sane. "So, can you help me get home? I live in New Pines. On Honning Lane. How far are we?" I ask, not wanting to be taken anywhere I didn't want to go.

"New Pines? Where's that? Might have to go visit, if the rest of the girls are as cute as you." He gives me a cheesy grin and continues walking.

I felt my cheeks warm up and looked away, smiling slightly. "So you don't know how to get to New Pines? What city are we in now?"

I'm interrupted when we arrive at his destination. There are five other boys there, playing with a weathered football. The youngest looked my age and the oldest couldn't have been older than 25. But his face…he had the air of someone who had been alive much longer. There was a chorus of whistles when they noticed us.

"Glory, Two-Bit found some poor girl to like him?"

"If Two-Bit can get a girl, I wonder why our little man here can't!"

Two-Bit laughed and did a cartwheel over to the door of the house that sat behind the boys, returning with a Coke. I panicked a little when he left, because the only person I knew had just walked (or wheeled?) away. Fine, I have attachment problems! I stood in the grass awkwardly until Two-Bit spoke up.

"Her name's Alice. I found her lyin' flat on 'er face down the street on my way over. She's pretty loopy and don't got a clue how she got here."

I was annoyed by this description of me, although it was pretty accurate. I'd have to get him for that. "Oh yes, I'm Alice. And in case you weren't aware, that bumbling idiot is Keith."

The boys laughed at that and the one closest to me gave me a friendly slap on the back. "For someone Two-Bit picked up, you ain't half-bad," he said, swinging around and taking my hand. "Steve Randall, at your majesty's service." He bent down and kissed my hand, earning louder guffaws from the other guys. I was shocked and whipped my hand away from him.

"Is everyone insane?" I thought out loud. I didn't like Steve anymore. He seemed like a prick. I gave him a cold, hollow glare, as mean looking as I could manage.

"Looks like Dal," a quiet voice muttered. The one that looked my age had spoken up. This set off a round of agreeing comments amongst them. Two-Bit returned to my side and I (embarrassingly) latched onto his arm like a leech, trembling and beginning to worry. "Listen, I really need to get back home. My mom is probably freaking out. Are we even in Nebraska?" I whispered to Keith, glancing nervously at the other boys. Two-Bit looked at me strangely.

"We're not in Nebraska, little miss. This is good old Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you're lost, you could try the Fuzz."


	2. Hanging On to Nothing

I decided to upload all of the chapters I have typed out at once. When I started writing this, I was using good ol' pencil and paper. There isn't much more to say, except that I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chapters that follow it!

**Disclaimer:** The Outsiders book and characters, unfortunately, do not belong to me. They belong to a lady named S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 2: Hanging on to Nothing

At that point, I backed away and sat on the ground in defeat. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna…I have to go," I said, turning around. I started running down the road, following the cars until I got to the main part of town. I was horribly out of breath and sweating like crazy. I saw a police officer restraining a young man on a street corner. Jogging over, I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Officer? Sir, I need to find out how to get home. Could you help me please?"

The officer gave me a quick look before putting handcuffs on the boy, who seemed to be indifferent. I was studying him while waiting for the officer to respond. He had flaxen, near white hair that was long and untamed, and extremely dirty. He reminded me of a boy at my school who we had called the 'Albino', because of his pale hair and skin. The boy suddenly looked at me with ice blue eyes and gave me a smirk that almost frightened me. I quickly turned away.

"Sure, little girl. You can come with me while I take this miscreant down to the station."

I nodded rapidly, finally happy I had met someone who knew some more…advanced English. I slid into the shotgun seat and twiddled my thumbs. I was starting to notice the strangeness of this town. Everything looked like it came out of Grease. The officer shoved the boy into the back of the car. I was glad there was the fence in between us.

"Hey baby, what's your name?" he said smoothly, his lips suddenly appearing by my ear. I shuddered and ignored him. He smelled like alcohol and blood. "Come on, I know you can hear me. I'm not as stupid as I look."

I laughed slightly at this. He certainly did look stupid. But I didn't respond. As soon as the officer opened the door, the boy leaned back into a normal sitting position and shut up.

When we got to the station, I was handed over to a different officer as the one I had first met led the boy away. He smirked at me again until the cop smacked him and yanked him the other way. I felt a little bad for him, but turned my attention to the officer.

"Hello, my name is Alice. I live at 338 Honning Lane, New Pine, Nebraska. Can you please help me get home? I don't remember how I got here." I told the officer all of this at once, I knew the drill. Not from personal experience! Just, you know, common sense. She nodded and wrote it all down. Then I asked the question that had been itching at me ever since I got here.

"Ma'am…what year is it?" I was hoping this was like, one of those historical towns, or a sub-Amish cult, or anything.

"1965, miss. Could you repeat your address again?"

I blinked. 1965? I didn't even know how that was possible. 1965? My parents aren't even born! How did I get here? Am I dreaming? Is this a joke? A TV show? 1965?

I nearly passed out from the confusion in my head. But I had to accept it unless I wanted to have a panic attack in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, I knew this wasn't a joke. However it had happened, it was real.

You know, I had read a lot of books about time travel. It seemed really cool. I had even wished it would happen. Now that I was thinking about it…okay, this wasn't that bad. But…I didn't think I would get to see anyone I knew again. That reality made me start crying in the middle of the police station. I looked at the officer through tears.

"I'm sorry, I have…memory lapses. I know where I am. I'll be going home now." My lies felt heavy on my tongue this time as I walked out of the station. As soon as I got out, I started running, ignoring officers as I left asking me if I had somewhere to go or someplace to stay. I ran until I got back to the house Two-Bit had brought me to. It took me at least an hour, compared to the 15 minutes it took me to run into town. I had forgotten the way. As soon as I knew someone outside had seen me, I let myself collapse on the ground.

* * *

><p>I blinked groggily as I woke up. I was laid out on a couch. The air smelled of smoke and beer and guys. Not a pleasant combination. However, at the same time there was an overpowering smell of something I knew very well- chocolate cake. A loud sports event of some sort was playing on the TV. When I rolled on my side, I saw the boys doing boy stuff. Wrestling, playing cards, running around like maniacs. Finally, someone noticed me.<p>

"Darry, the little miss is awake." A pure, medium toned voice. Excited. Everyone that was there shut up fast and the oldest guy came forward.

"Are you alright? You weren't responding to anything." He stood in front of the couch, crossing his arms and looking down at me. I flinched and tried to subtly burrow farther back into the couch.

I could tell these guys weren't the type I would normally talk to. Although they didn't necessarily look the same, my friends and I would have definitely labeled them 'gangsters'. Even then, I sort of laughed when I and thought 'gangsters'. My friends and I would have laughed and mimicked them…tears started to form in my eyes again. I sat up on the couch and curled into a ball, ducking my head between my knees and shaking silently.

I was stuck in Oklahoma. In 1965. With no way to get home. My only company? Six gangsters. I missed my family and my friends and the boy I had a crush on…okay, call me pathetic.

I felt the couch cushion next to me lower and someone held my hand comfortingly. I kept crying and sobbed into their shoulder. I cried until all I had left was a throbbing pain in my skull, and looked up.

I immediately felt horrible again.

This boy was the most depressed looking boy I had ever laid eyes on. I could tell he had been through way more than he deserved to, and I felt stupid and obsolete when he comforted me. My troubles were nothing compared to what he had been through. He was trapped, trying to get out. I knew all this just by looking at his pained expression and bottomless eyes. He dressed like the rest of them, wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. There was a dark scar down one side of his face that made him look pretty tough. Long, carefully styled brown hair and almost-black tortured eyes. He looked my age, or younger.

"Listen, Alice. My name's Johnny Cade. Pleased to meet you, miss."

The way he smiled afterwards could have melted anyone's heart, I swear. I couldn't help but smile back. "Nice to meet you, too," I murmured.

The honey-voice came back again, so out of the blue that I flinched again. I was just really skittish, I guess.

"Hey! I-" the voice started, full of energy. It got gentler after the boy saw me flinch. "I'm Sodapop Curtis, and that's my older brother Darry." He pointed at the big guy who had tried to talk to me in the beginning. "Darry says you can stay with us until you find your way back home. And that-" he continued, pointing at another boy my age, "is my kid brother Ponyboy. By the way, little miss. We don't like to see you cry, so if you could…you know."

I almost wanted to snort at his last comment, but I just sat silently.

"Sodapop" was a- a boy. A really good looking one. He had that aura of one of those classic popular guys in movies. The one who had every girl in school crushing on him, the team captain of some sport or another, class president…the list goes on. Sodapop had long, gold-brown hair that was also carefully styled, with less grease than the others. His brown eyes were happy, but as I stared at him blankly, I knew it was a façade over a few layers of hurt, stress, and weariness.

Ponyboy, the youngest Curtis brother (I assumed) had darker brown hair and intelligent gray-green eyes. I giggled to myself quietly, if only my friends could see me now. Ponyboy had to be in my grade. He was nearly as tall as Sodapop and had the same vibe. The school-hero feel. Even though he appeared dangerous, at closer inspection I knew he was like Johnny- not as actually gang-ish as the rest of them.

I let out a long held breath and surveyed the room. I knew everyone there now. "Okay. Thanks, Mr. Curtis," I said softly, dropping my eyes to the floor. I still felt nervous around so many tough looking guys, like I couldn't protect myself if they turned out to be not so nice. But I felt slightly more at ease, now that I knew a little about them and their names. As soon as I said "Mr. Curtis", the guys started laughing and making fun of each other again. I smiled and relaxed on the couch, just watching and getting to know them in my own way. Boys were boys.


	3. Seven Too Many

One of the main problems I have with most of the Outsiders FFs on this website is the extreme OCness of Dallas, so I tried my best to keep him acting like a butthole XD

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Outsiders or the characters involved, only Alice. S.E. Hinton does.

Chapter 3: Seven Too Many

After another few hours, I had my first cigarette. Johnny had given me a 'cancer stick' from his pack of Camels and thoughtfully lit it for me. I frowned, but the guys all wanted to see my reaction so I took one very short drag. I coughed and gave it back to Johnny, who was already laughing hard with the rest of the guys. As I sputtered and wiped my mouth, I couldn't help but start laughing as well.

Lesson to be learned: Smoking is nasty.

So, I bet you're wondering what I had gathered from my observations (actually, I'm sure you were wondering nothing of the sort).

Darry put me off. He was beefy, like a quarterback. He would laugh and make fun, but he seemed like he didn't have time for it even though we had nothing else to do. He always looked so worried, but it was understandable now that I knew the Curtis family better. He had to take care of Pony and Soda all by himself and left behind an amazing life he could have had. It was admirable, how selfless he was.

Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were just a couple of jokesters. They kept the group going, making fun and wrestling with each other until Darry got mad at them for getting too close to something breakable or when punches started going around.

Pony and Johnny…they kept to themselves. They would talk to each other silently and watch, Pony would participate in the jokes and stuff occasionally. I liked them. I could see them being someone to actually talk to.

As a whole, I realized I had nothing to be afraid of from these guys. On the streets, I would have cautiously walked the other way. Here, at the Curtis residence, I laughed with them and felt comfortable around them. I wondered if this is what it was like at the homes of the 'gangsters' in my high school. Somehow, I doubted it.

So a few hours had passed again and it was just me and the Curtises. I yawned and my eyes started to flicker shut, no matter how hard I tried to keep them open. I fell asleep listening to the harmony of Darry's deep voice, Pony's rough smoker voice, and Soda's golden tenor. Maybe I was exaggerating, but it was oddly soothing.

* * *

><p>Light crept under my eyelids. Ugh, stupid light. I hate light. For a brief, wonderful moment, I thought I was waking up in my bed like I would have any other day. Then everything came back. Shit.<p>

I groped around to find something to hold onto and found a bedpost, which I used to pull myself out of bed. Walking past myself in the mirror, I saw I was wearing a large t-shirt and some type of shorts. _What the hell?_ Had they really changed me out of my clothes? I looked down my shirt and was thankful to see they had at least left my tank top intact.

Finding my way to the kitchen, I turned around when I heard a door close somewhere else in the house and froze in place. Nonchalantly lying on the couch, the same creeper from the station was sleeping. Thinking quickly, I ran back towards the rooms and shook Darry awake. He groaned in annoyance. "What?" Darry said, trying his best to not sound pissed off.

"There's a man in the living room! I saw him at the police station yesterday. He's just sleeping there, on the couch!" I whispered, panicking and trembling in fear. So it had been a day in 1965 and someone already broke into the house I was staying at.

Darry jumped to his feet immediately and led me back into the kitchen. He looked tense. I sneaked behind him and peeked out around his hulking form. As we entered the living room, I paused and squeaked quietly.

After a second, I heard Darry laughing loudly.

The white-haired boy from the station woke, his movements slow for a few moments.

"Glory, Darry, what's all the fuss? Am I really that funny-looking?" he muttered, glaring up at the older boy. I looked at Darry in confusion. Was I missing something…?

"Dallas Winston, you haven't met Alice yet, have you? Man, have I got a story for you!" Darry laughed some more and looked at me, grinning widely. I was still hiding behind him, but poked my face out to look at the white boy (for lack of a better word, okay?).

"Actually," the white boy said, rubbing his eyes and smirking (I was beginning to think he didn't know how to just plain smile), "we have met." Thankfully, he left it at that, although it was probably more for his pride than mine.

"So she comes in, shaking me awake, all scared, an' says, 'Darry, there's a man in the living room!' So I get up and go see, and it's just you, you son of a gun." Darry laughed louder this time and slapped the younger boy on the back.

I raise an eyebrow at this Dallas Winston character and he smirks and shrugs in response. "So, why were you being arrested?" I questioned, still hiding behind Darry.

"Got into a fight at the 79. Some moron came in accusing me of whipping his brother. Not saying I didn't, but the Fuzz'll bring me in for just about anything." He proceeded to curse loudly about the police and the person who had fought him. Darry shook his head and went to the kitchen, beginning to brew some coffee. Dallas Winston shifted on the couch and smirked at me. "So? What's that name of yours, little devil?"

I glared at him and stuck my tongue out. "Darry already said it, I don't see how you could have missed it."

"Yeah, but I want to hear _you _say it. Here, I'll start." Dallas Winston sat up and pointed to himself. "_My_ name is Dallas. Most call me Dally, or bastard. It's a _pleasure_ to meet you."

Every word he said was dripping with condescension. I just glared at him some more. I sure knew a few people like him in 2012. The kind of boys who thought they could treat other people however they pleased. Ignoring him, I went into the kitchen and had a slice of cake to appease my stomach's orders.

"Can I take a shower?" I asked Darry, putting my dish in the sink.

"Yeah, sure."

I yawned and pushed my hair out of my face. I knew that I looked ugly as hell, I always do in the morning. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it as well. You know, just for good measure. Confident I would not be disturbed, I started ripping the mysterious clothes off and stepped into the shower. I cringed. This shower had a very grimy feel to it, and my brain would, essentially, not let me touch the walls. As soon as the hot water hit my feet, I relaxed, because for some reason it felt a little more sanitary.

Dang, it felt good to be clean again.

Typical of boys, all there was in the shower was shampoo. I lathered it into my hair and started humming along with the song that was playing from somewhere outside.

I finished showering and turned off the water, reaching a hand out and grabbing the towel that was there. Wrapping it around me loosely, I stepped out of the dirty shower as fast as I could and screamed on impulse.

Soda was grinning hugely at me in the reflection of the mirror, his jaw partially covered in shaving cream. I screamed some more until I calmed down enough to speak.

"SODAPOP. GET. OUT!" My voice rang through the tiny room and probably through the whole house. Soda acted like he understood and started to walk out. Before he left, he swept up the clothes I had changed out of and winked.

"_SODA!"_


	4. In Over My Head

Yes, this is a really short chapter, but whatever. I'm aiming to keep each portion at around 1500 words, in case you were at all wondering. Again, I had some problems keeping Sodapop in-character. Sue me.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 4: In Over My Head

"SODAPOP CURTIS, GET BACK IN HERE!" I howled, extremely enraged. Of course, his sly face popped back in the door.

"Yes?" He asked, innocently.

"BRING ME _CLOTHES_!" I yelled at him, steaming mad. I about wanted to smack him. He just shrugged and left, closing the door behind him. I face-palmed myself and tore away the shower curtain, wrapping the towel tighter and hugging myself. I bit my lip to hold back tears of utter frustration. "Soda? Please, give me clothes," I called out, opening the door a tiny bit and peeking out. I took a step outside and my foot landed on something soft.

Another old t-shirt and an equally old pair of jeans. I let out a hefty breath and kicked the clothes inside, changing quickly and wrapping my hair up in the towel.

Trying my best to stay calm, I walked out into the kitchen where Ponyboy was struggling to hold back a laugh and eating cake. Soda stood against the counter, reading the newspaper.

I smiled gently at Pony, then stormed up to Soda and kneed him in the balls.

Satisfyingly, he keeled over and started cursing, clutching his jewels. I guess some things about boys didn't change with time.

"Did you think that was the _least bit _funny? Because it was _not. _I'm in the middle of nowhere with no way to get home and this isn't even 2012. Trust me, I am plenty pissed off already without having to deal with you being such a complete ass clown." I sat down on the kitchen floor and rubbed my temples, running through a list of things I wanted to say.

Soda was quiet for awhile, probably because of the pain. I could tell he was itching to snap back at me angrily or start making fun of me.

"I'm sorry, Alice, jeez. You didn't have to kick me…there. Don't start crying."

I looked at his pathetic self, rolling my eyes at his answer. He was handing me a bowl of cereal. It was a peace offering.

I got off the floor and looked at Ponyboy, who still sat at the kitchen table.

Pony shrugged and nodded at the bowl.

Wow, thanks for your advice, pal.

I eyed Soda, making an effort to appear overly hurt. Unfortunately, I couldn't really stay mad at him for long, so I begrudgingly snatched the bowl and plopped it down on the kitchen table. I wasn't really hungry but I took a bite anyways, since the cereal would get soggy soon…and hey, I don't waste food.

My eyes bulged and I spat it out, the milk spraying out like one of those gag shots in a cheesy movie. The 'sugar' he had thoughtfully sprinkled on top was definitely not sugar.

"SODAA!" I growled, more playfully this time. I threw the bowl at him from across the room, laughing and chasing him out the door with his soggy milk hair.

* * *

><p>It's been another day, with no sign of getting home or how I ended up here. We were watching the news in the living room and I was feeling pretty horrible. With every story that mentioned the year, I would sink further into the couch.<p>

_Who's to say I'm not in some whack dream?_ I pinch myself randomly. _What if all I had to do was wake up? _As more of these thoughts spun around in my mind, the idea seemed even more plausible. My face had a sick smile and I started hitting myself, banging my head against my knees, pulling on my hair, anything to open my eyes and end up in my bed again.

"Alice? Alice, what the hell are you doin'!" I heard a voice hoarsely call. Soon, someone was restraining my arms and holding me down. In my insane stupor I tried to yank myself away, kicking and biting at the person. Finally, my brain told me to quit it and I went limp.

"Am I really in 1965? No. It's 2012. Someone tell me it's 2012."

By now, everyone was staring at me, at a loss for words. Darry cleared his throat.

"We don't know how you got here. Or if you're telling the truth, and you're really from 2012. An' I don' really care. But as long as you're living in this house, we're all going to treat you like our sister and take care of you real good."

I admit, even though I wasn't thinking straight, I cringed at his grammar. Darry told Pony to let me go (he had been the one restraining me) and rustled my hair.

I hadn't realized how…attached they had become to my presence. I was helpless and very breakable with nowhere to go. That must have been how they all felt at one point, lost and alone. Maybe it was some sort of way to make up for what someone in their lives couldn't do.

The deafening silence was uncomfortable, so I picked at the brown carpet to distract myself. I started to feel a little nauseous and inhaled the smell of cake to anchor me in sanity.

Finally, I licked my lips and opened my mouth to speak, glancing around at the boys who were still standing there and staring.

"So, 1965? Might as well show me the ropes. I'm going to need to fit in, somehow."


	5. Sort of Dysfunctional

First of all, thank you DirenKyo for the review :) and writeme516 for the sub! I am pleased to have results only a day after this story was first posted.

Next, I want to apologize for the times that I delete and republish a chapter. When I find something that really bothers me in one of the chapters, It's much easier to just delete and re-upload instead of replace it. So, sorry again :/

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 5: Sort of Dysfunctional

It's been about two weeks now. I stopped thinking about my parents so much, stopped crying. Sometimes, I still wake up from a dream and there's tears running down my face. When that happens, Pony or Soda just listen to me talk and we have a conversation for hours about the most random topics. Then they give me a hug until I fall asleep again. It's really nice. I wish I had real brothers like them.

We go to the movies and take walks and stuff. They teach me different slang words and how to dress and what to do if someone jumps me. Sometimes I go with the other guys. We always end up having a blast. Hey, it's much better than sitting on the computer all day like I would have in 2012. I already feel healthier, stronger. I can hold my own when I wrestle with Pony or Johnny! Heh, I like practice fighting with them.

I worry about school. The summer is ending.

I can tell there are some things going on that I don't approve of, but don't question. Two-Bit brings me candy bars and little toys that he says he got with the "five-finger discount". Dally sleeps on the couch in the living room a lot, with bruises and cuts or drunk. He's funny when he's drunk, so I like tricking him into saying stupid shit like, "pansies are pretty". I see all of the boys playing with switchblades at one time or another, and I confess, it puts me on edge. But then again, when we go into the city, I see other street boys with them all the time. This whole town is corrupted, I guess.

Ponyboy told me the story of how Johnny got beat up. I started talking to Johnny more, and trying to be nicer. He needed a friend besides Pony and someone to watch out for him besides Dallas. I sort of got to feeling like the den mother of some very naughty boy scouts.

Every night, the boys would be over making a ruckus. They came and went as they pleased. I soon found out the Curtis house had an open door for everyone, when several times I woke up to find some stranger passed out on the couch or having a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

* * *

><p>One night, Darry came home from work in a very bad mood. He didn't say much, but he would grunt when he turned the wrong way and complain about everything. We were eating dinner when he excused himself and went to lie on the couch. Soda was about to go after him because he's sort of the masseur of the household, but I got up first and gave him a look that said "I got this".<p>

So I followed Darry out and poked him awake. It's like poking a bear. You don't know whether it's going to go apeshit and attack you, or just flop on its side. Not like I go around poking wild animals, or something. Eventually I have to punch him in the arm, which gets him to open his eyes.

"Lay on the floor," I say in my most commanding voice.

He gave me a strange look but did as I asked. I kicked off my shoes and hopped on top of Darry, digging my heels around in the high-strung muscles of his back. He made some more grunting noises, and I noticed Sodapop and Pony standing and watching.

"Pony, why don't you do it? You're heavier, it'll feel better," I suggested, stepping off his back and switching out with Pony. He gives me a skeptical look, and nearly falls off. I laugh at him and smile knowingly. Backs are really wiggly.

Okay, I never thought I'd say that.

Darry seemed to be appreciating it (at least, that's what I thought by the occasional grunt he gave when Pony hit the right spot). I leaned on the wall next to Soda and grinned, glancing at him and then at the floor.

Soda laughed and lay down next to Darry. I stepped on his back and struggled to keep balanced, Pony and I eventually agreeing to steady each other by holding onto opposite shoulders. I stood there kneading my feet aggressively into Soda's long, sinewy back and was really getting into it, until Pony and I looked up as if we knew something was out of place.

Dally walked into the house, smoking, and lasted about a second before noticing us. He just gazed with surprise for a few moments before laughing and making some stupid comment about those "damn Curtises and their crazy-" okay, it got a little colorful at that point.

Pony and I started cracking up and we fell down, crashing onto Darry and Soda who had also seen Dally by now and were also laughing hysterically. Dallas just shook his head and went to grab something from the kitchen, finding another excuse to start cursing like a sailor.

* * *

><p>After another hour, I went to get dressed for bed. I had an old t-shirt of Darry's that had a few holes from years of loving use. I settled onto the mattress they had set up and pulled the dirty, worn sheets over my torso. Pony, Soda, and I took turns sleeping on the bed and on the mattress. Unfortunately, it was their night for the bed. At home, I would have been disgusted by these living conditions. Now, it felt like I knew these sheets and this house better than my own, but I knew it would never be the same. Like every night before, Pony came in first and we talked for a while, then Soda came and jumped on top of Pony which caused a small scuffle and some more laughing until we all settled down. We almost seemed like a family now.<p>

I closed my eyes and curled up on my mattress, shutting the lights off in my mind and listening to the two other humans in the room breathe quietly until I myself fell asleep.


	6. Socs Are Bad

Here's another longer chapter. Mmmm, have you ever had these things called Veggie Stix? They are delicious! Thank you xxLiveLoveMusicxx for the favorite.

**Hey guys! You should review, just to tell me what you thought! It will make me so very happy. So very happy. I will personally thank you in one of the next chapters.**

**Disclaimer: **The Ooutsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton

Chapter 6: Socs Are Bad

When I wake up, it's only me in the room (like usual). I mope to the bathroom, rubbing crusties out of my eyes. The mirror is still foggy from someone's shower. I yawn and start the water.

After I get squeaky clean, I change into the clothes that someone left out for me and decide whether or not I need to ask for something else. Gah, I am _not _wearing these huge jeans. I grab my future shorts and keep the blue t-shirt, running a brush through my tangled wet hair.

I go to the kitchen where Pony greets me and gives me a slice of cake. Everything has been done the same way for awhile now, and I guess we've developed a routine.

Sitting at the table, I notice Ponyboy keeps glancing at me uncomfortably. Once, I catch his eyes and he quickly becomes interested in the deeper meaning of his chocolate pastry.

"What is it, Pony?" I question him, sighing and putting my fork down.

"Blast it, fine. I've just…well, I've been meaning to…" He pauses and scratches his head. "What I'm trying to say is, I like having you here, Alice."

I smiled at him. He's so sweet, sometimes.

"And why's that?" I ask again, picking up my fork and continuing to eat.

"Don't tell anyone or I'll…I'll do something bad to you. But when you're around, Darry don't yell at us as much. Before he was always saying mean things and Sodapop would stand up for me and end up getting yelled at too. Dar's a lot less angry with you in the house." Pony shrugged and went back to eating.

I grinned and went to put my plate away. That was probably the most I'd ever heard him say in one go. I left my dish in the sink for a moment and threw my arms around him. "Ponyboy, you are just the NICEST boy I've ever known!" I tease, ruffling his yet-to-be-greased hair. I turned back around to do the dishes that someone forgot to do last night.

"What about me, dolly?" I hear, being lifted into the air and thrown over someone's shoulder. I laugh and gasp for breath when Soda starts tickling my stomach and beg and plead for him to put me down before I suffocate. Pony laughs too and plops his bowl in the soapy water.

"Of course Soda, I couldn't forget you," I assure him as he (thankfully) sets me down and starts pouring a glass of chocolate milk. "You're the most _insufferable _boy I've ever known!" I smiled and start scrubbing off the dirty plates while Soda chuckles to himself.

"Hey Alice, Johnny and I are going to see a movie tonight. They've got a new one from Britain, I heard some kids at the drive-in say it was really funny." Pony suggested this while I put away the first of the clean dishes, forgetting which cupboard the plates went in and having to try a few more before I finally found it.

"Sure, why not? Sounds like a plan." I dried off my hands and looked pointedly at Soda. "Don't you have to go to work?" I prompted, having looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Well, yeah, but Steve's there now and there's really no hurry." Soda shrugged and started to read the paper. I looked at him again and nodded my head at the door. "Go to work, Soda." I pointed at the door again.

He shook his head and trudged out the door, giving me a fake enthusiastic smile.

Sometimes you had to work to get him off his ass and doing something productive.

There was about a week left until school would start and I got more nervous by the hour. We had already gone to buy supplies and other crap you needed.

I didn't have any friends that were girls. Pony and Johnny were great, of course, but I was itching to talk to someone about periods and boys and other stuff like that.

Pony and I watched TV for awhile. Then, we went out to find something to do because we got bored. We walked to Johnny's and picked him up, starting into town. The three of us sat on the curb, I popped bubbles with my gum and they smoked. Life was slow and easy. They pointed out other kids who would be going to our school and whether to stay away from them or not.

Some nice, clean looking boys were looking our way so I waved.

"What are you, crazy?" Pony whispered angrily, as the nice looking boys grinned contemptuously and waved back. "Act like a greaser bitch," he urged.

"Um, Pony, I don't think tha-" I started to protest. He shushed me.

"They're Socs. You gotta be careful around them. The kind of people who beat up Johnny."

I frowned and eyed them curiously. Pony told me to take a few drags off of his cigarette, which I did grudgingly. It took every ounce of self control I had to not start coughing.

"If you're seen hanging with Johnny and I, they know you're one of us and they're less likely to go talk to you and try something funny."

Pony scooted closer to me when the Socs walking down the sidewalk towards us. They were our age, and they didn't look as bad as the stories I had heard about them.

The Socs walked behind us, calling a few derogatory words and spitting at us. Johnny relaxed and Pony settled down.

"Come on, let's go back home and do something." I tilted my head and prodded them up off their feet, getting sick of all this nervousness about a couple of jocks.

* * *

><p>There was about two hours left until everyone would be over. Johnny had gone home, so Pony was watching some cop show on TV while I played with my hair in the bathroom. I was trying to figure out how to do it for the first day of school. Ugh, I was over thinking this whole thing. I went out to the living room where Pony was playing Solitaire and humming to a song on the radio. I thought for a moment, deciding I would help out a little and fix some dinner.<p>

I started boiling some water, thinking to make the only acceptable meal I knew how. Spaghetti, of course! All you had to do was cook noodles, fry some ground beef, and add red sauce! I thought it would all go as planned, but things didn't really turn out so hot. The noodles boiled over once and I couldn't figure out how to turn down the burner, so red sauce started sputtering out everywhere and burning my forearms until I finally got the damn thing as low as I could. I had to give adults credit, making dinner was a piece of work. Pony asked a few questions but didn't think it was odd that I was cooking for once.

By the time Darry walked in the door, I had the noodles strained and everything ready. I wasn't really sure how it would taste because I pretty much just added random seasonings into the sauce.

"Who made dinner?" he bellowed immediately, coming into the kitchen to see. I felt a little smaller. "Oh, I did. I thought I might as well since I had all this extra time." I offered him a plate and stepped back timidly. Darry didn't seem to see a problem with that and scooped himself a huge portion, probably more than my dad would have eaten, which was saying something. My dad ate a lot.

I flinched when he took his first giant-sized bite. His chewing seemed to take minutes. Alright, maybe I'm making a big deal out of this, but I was nervous, okay?

"Tastes real great," he managed through bites.

I exhaled and smiled when Soda came through the door, everyone eventually sitting down to eat the spaghetti. Luckily, I had thought ahead and made two boxes of noodles, so when there were seven guys in the living room all slurping up noodles there was still enough for me.

Two-Bit told us about how earlier in the day he and some fellow named Curly had gotten into a fight with two Socs (that word again) and 'Curly' got arrested. That seemed to spark the interest of everyone. I didn't understand a lot of the obscure slang they used, but I knew that the rivalry between the Socs and Greasers was heating up lately, and it was making the boys uncomfortable.

This was one thing that was different in 1965. At my old high school, the sporty boys and the nerds and the ghettos all sort of coexisted. There was nothing like this, and it was new and interesting to me. I had never been even remotely involved in such an all out hatred of two groups. I wish I never had.

"Let's go, Alice!" Pony called, breaking me out of my thought world. I shook my head and sighed. Right, we were going to a movie.


	7. Not So Lonely

Thank you katie for the review :) Bleh, St. Valentine's day is tomorrow. I wonder if I should do anything special. Mayhaps I shall write something quick and cute?

**Please review this! I love reviews! The more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to write another chapter. **

**Disclaimer**: The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton

Chapter 7: Not So Lonely

I couldn't sleep that night. Maybe it was because I slept in so late the morning before. I ended up getting a few mismatched hours in, then woke up at 4:30 AM and decided I should just give up with the whole sleep thing. The sun was already peeking through the trees on the horizon and I could smell fresh dew on the leaves. I breathed in and quietly changed into something acceptable, planning on taking a walk to calm down and then maybe I could go back to sleep.

I yawned and walked out the door, shivering a little at the breeze that greeted me immediately. There was no doubt fall was on its way. I kicked at some leaves that were already falling off of the trees and started singing some pop songs, ones that no one would have recognized yet. It felt good to remember a little bit of what I used to live with.

I decided to see if Johnny was in the abandoned lot and started walking that way. If not, I would just go around the block again and go back. I kicked a rock in front of me and played soccer with myself, endlessly dribbling the stone down the sidewalk. I didn't notice anything was off until it was right in front of my face.

"Keep the hell quiet and this'll be less painful." I screamed as a man grabbed my arm and held a blade to my throat. He was obviously extremely hungover.

"Please…please, you're drunk. You don't want to do this," I squeaked, before he clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Huh…wha? Uh…don't fucking tell me what to do!" He wrenched my arm backwards and I let out a muffled scream.

_Okay, think. Don't just stand there._

I pushed past the pain and ripped my knee forward, ramming my foot back into his groin and running the hell out of there before he knew what was happening. I was lucky he was so drunk, his movements were slow and stupid.

I ran, faster than I ever had. Now that I think about it, I was pretty stupid not to go straight back home, but my mind wasn't exactly in prime condition at the time, so I ran for Johnny's house. I came and started pounding on the door.

"Johnny? Johnny, open the door! Please!" I howled, still pounding. Fortunately, he came and opened the door and grabbed my shoulders before his parents heard. They were probably passed out upstairs anyways.

"Alice, calm down!" He brought me inside and guided me to the couch. "Why are you so loud? Nothing's the matter."

I took deep breaths until I felt a little more anchored. "Some guy…some guy jumped me when I was taking a walk."

Johnny just looked at me, but I could have sworn I saw a little bit of an eye roll. "A walk? At 5 in the morning?" He rubbed his eyes and yawned, leaning back on the couch. "Did he hurt ya'? Do you uh…want a glass of water or something?"

"No Johnny, I'm fine…were your parents bad last night?" I had been okay with his hospitality for a few minutes, but now and like always, it was killing me. Being around him always made me feel so damn selfish. I rubbed my neck where the blade had been and felt the thin scab that had formed there.

"Come on, Alice! Can't something not be about how Johnny is for once?" he suddenly growled. He sounded annoyed, angry even. I was taken aback.

"Uh…sorry. Okay, I'll have a glass of water," I whimpered, surprised and a little confused. He always acted so broken, like he needed someone. So what was his deal now? "Are you alright, Johnny? I mean, what was that about?" I didn't want him thinking I cared about him now, heaven forbid. He might blow up again.

"Aesh. I'm sorry. I just get so tired of everyone pitying me, everyone treating me like I'm some kind of weakling. Sometimes I want to be able to help someone too." He rubbed the back of his neck and brought me the water, sitting back down next to me.

I nodded and took a tiny sip. It was nice to know how he felt, but I couldn't just stop feeling sorry for him. "Okay, you have permission to take care of me from now on," I joked, already feeling a little better. "Hey, I think I'll head home now. Try to lay low and hope that no one notices me. Don't mention this to the guys, will you?" I stood up to leave and grabbed the doorknob, looking at him and raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, no problem. See you later. But be careful, it's dangerous out there for girls like you!" He waved and I smiled, sliding out the door. As soon as the air was on my skin, I felt about a thousand times calmer. I stared at the ground and started walking back.

"Alice!"

I looked up and narrowly avoided running into Dallas. "Hi, Dally," I said blandly, scuffing my feet on the ground and continuing to walk. He jogged ahead and caught my arm, stopping me. I avoided his eyes and stared at a point in the distance just behind his elbow.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You know you woke up the whole house and everyone is losing their shit looking for you? Are you out of your stupid little girl mind?" Dallas was snapping angrily at me. I shrank away from him and bit my lower lip, feeling a lump in my throat. They were just words…he didn't mean them…but I absolutely hate being called stupid! I was counting to ten, and got to about six before I couldn't keep cool anymore.

"If you think I'm so worthless, why did you even bother coming out here at all?" I shouted, tearing away from him and sprinting back towards Johnny's.

"Alice, come on!" He started running after me. "God, I hate girls!"

Although I was certainly fast, there was no way I could outrun a guy two years older than I was. Dally caught up to me and grabbed my arm again, spinning me around and holding me in place with an iron grip. I tried my best to look him in the eye and sniffled, rubbing back the beads of water that had formed in my eyes and were annoyingly blurring my vision. "What do you _want?_" I spat. It didn't sound half as angry as I wanted it to, with me shaking like a wet dog.

"Okay, I shouldn'ta said that! They were worried, that's all. You know you're like their lil' sister or somethin'. An' don't tell me you're not little, because you're little."

I took a few deep breaths so I could get a level head. Oh please. He was making me laugh, almost. Alright, fine. It didn't bother me how he didn't care. Not at all. Nope. "I'm not little," I complained weakly, standing up straight but not lessening the five inches he had on me. Shut up, I am _not _little! But whatever, I forgave him. We walked in silence for a few moments.

"Hey kid, you stay with Johnny or Pony as much as you can tomorrow. Don't want some Soc jumping you in the hall." I held back a snort, how ironic that was. I was actually a little confused for a moment, I didn't know what was so special about tomorrow.

Oh wait, first day of school…slipped my mind, maybe? Crud.

"Yeah, sure." I started kicking a rock again, until he rudely sent it off course. I grinned. "Hey! What'd you do that for?" I went after another rock when he swept it away again, this time laughing maliciously. "It's ON, delinquent!" We ran home, playing a form of keep away and fighting for the rock.

* * *

><p>When we got back, about two hours had gone by. Strange, it seemed like everything had happened all at once. Which, of course, was ridiculous. The only person there was Pony.<p>

"Al-" Pony's voice cracked mid-word and he came to see if I was okay. I smiled faintly.

"I'm fine, Ponyboy." I giggled at him and ducked my head, hoping he wouldn't notice the scratch. Dally was hovering behind me, which was slightly unnerving and comforting at the same time. Yeah, definitely more unnerving.

Finally, Pony declared I was fine and I told him I was going back to bed. He said he was going out to get everyone back, and I felt bad that I had woken them up. Apparently they were all out trying to find me. I changed back into pajamas and hopped into the bed. Haha, suckers…since they were gone looking for me, I didn't have to use the mattress.

The door opened a little and light crept in. I grudgingly lifted my head. "What?" I hissed, my body finally screaming for rest.

"Sleep well, kid," Dallas said, closing the door and going to yell at the boys for making such a ruckus when they came in through the door and demanded to see me.


	8. Prayers Answered

review...I don't want to sound whiny or anything...but I'd like to know how well I'm doing.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton. Not me. Poo.

Chapter 8: Prayers Answered

The next morning, I woke up to Pony shaking me by the shoulders. "Come on, get up!"

"Wha-" I groaned and thought for a moment. Ah, yes: school.

I rolled out of bed and quickly took a shower. I was jittery and excitedly nervous. First day of school in 1965.

I was worried it would be too easy. I mean, school was way different- I thought about this while I picked out a crisp white dress we had bought and a gray cardigan. Letting my hair fall out of the towel it was wrapped up in, I went to the kitchen and cut myself a slice of cake. Sodapop was wrestling with Two-Bit and being miserably beaten. I giggled and Keith looked up, giving Soda a chance to knock him off and stand up.

"Hey, Alice! Good to see you! Hell, I thought you got abducted by aliens!" I grinned at Two-Bit, who came over and started hugging me so tightly that I started pleading for breath.

"I'll save you!" Soda cried valiantly, tugging Two-Bit away and pretending to stab him repeatedly with a sword or something. I started laughing again.

"Good morning, you guys." I chuckled again. "It's good to be back."

Soda came and hugged me too, rustling my wet hair. "I know Darry'll say this when he gets back from work, but don't ever run away like that again! You had us about to call the cops. Plus, you sleep like the dead so we couldn't wake you up at all yesterday!" I sighed.

"Relax, I didn't run away! I just took a walk." I went to put my plate in the sink and looked at the time. Geez, we only had five minutes until we had to go. I ran to brush my hair out and grab my bag from the bedroom.

"Well, have a good day at school. Me an' Steve'll be late if we don't get goin'." Soda grinned before tossing his friend's keys at him. Everyone filed outside, because we all had to leave anyways. Pony, Johnny and I were using Two-Bit's car, who had lent it to Johnny only after several days of begging and sweet talking. He had gotten his license a few weeks ago. I was about to jump in the backseat when I heard my name. "Yeah, Soda?"

"You look nice today," he said, then got into Steve's car and drove away.

"Hm…thanks?" I muttered to myself, climbing into the car as Johnny raced off (perhaps a little too excitedly).

"So, are you nervous? I'm nervous." I tried to break the silence that filled the car. Johnny caught my eye in the rearview mirror and we seemed to share a silent reinforcing of the agreement we made yesterday. Pony laughed. "Nah, you get used to it. Just stay away from Socs and hoods."

I snorted. So, he wanted me to stay away from everyone?

We got out of the car and walked through the big glass front doors, and I immediately felt a little sick. I could feel everyone suddenly judging my every move, and I knew that I had to make a good first impression now that would define me for the rest of the year.

Naturally, I tripped on the flat ground as soon as I got inside. Luckily, Pony caught me by the arm. "Watch yourself, Alice. Those nasty invisible chairs strike at any time." I rolled my eyes and shrugged him away.

"Whatever. I'm going to find my locker. See you in History." I slunk off and found my small locker, having no trouble with the lock. There was really nothing different about it from my old high school. Probably because my old high school had been built in 1964. Way trippy, that was last year! I wasn't a Bulldog anymore, though. I was a Will Rogers Ranger.

"What are you doing, hanging with those greasers?"

I blinked, confused. There was a girl, not shabbily dressed but not wearing something too fancy. I frowned. "Why, do you have a problem with them?"

The girl smiled and put her hands up in surrender.

"No, no, of course not. You just don't look the type. Your dress is really cute, and all."

I had to smile at this, but then my face steeled over again. "So are you a Soc?" I challenged, hoisting my bag over my shoulder and turning to face the girl. She shrugged.

"I'm just a regular person, isn't that okay?"

I grinned again. Pony told me to stay away from Socs and hoods, but she seemed alright. "You know, that's even better. What's your name?" We started walking to our first class, which we found that we had together after comparing schedules.

"Susanna. But I prefer Suze. Sounds cooler. How about you?"

Suze? That wasn't exactly common, where I came from. But hey, who am I to talk- I live with a Ponyboy and Sodapop. "Alice," I mumbled, a little bored. Being around the freaks I lived with made normal conversation…dull. Suze was being friendly, though, so I tried to pay attention to her as she told me about herself and even sat next to her in Science.

* * *

><p>Anyways, the first day went pretty well.<p>

Even though they thought I didn't notice, Ponyboy and Johnny gave these looks to any guys who so much as turned in my direction. I was semi-grateful, but also bummed…there were a ton of hot guys in my classes! Oh Lord, why was I thinking about this when I already had to think about…uh, nevermind.

When Pony and Johnny and I walked into the house, I could already hear Two-Bit and Steve wrestling and swearing at each other. Of course, as soon as I walked in they started watching their language.

I sighed slung my bag on the ground, pulling out a crisp sheet of paper and beginning my homework. Yes, homework on the first day. However, it was one of those 'get to know you' sheets from my English teacher, Mr. Syme. I yawned and started working, unfortunately being stumped by the first question. Name.

Two-Bit saw me already working on my homework and snickered. "Teacher's pet, already? I thought Ponyboy had that position on lock, I guess he's got some competition now."

I growled. "Oh, shut up, Two-Bit. You're just jealous none of the teachers liked _you._"

Two-Bit grinned. "Why don't you ask Ms. Laursen about me, I'm sure she'll tell you about all of the good times we had after-"

"Oh, GROSS! Two-Bit, you're kidding, right?" I said, laughing and fake barfing. Then I remembered my question from before. "Hey Pony, do you know what Darry put my last name down as?" Maybe it was Curtis, that would be easier when they sent out report cards and stuff…I still wasn't sure how things would work out when they asked who my legal guardian was.

"Smith." Pony howled from the other room, watching TV. I rolled my eyes. How original of them. "What about my middle name?" This one, I was genuinely curious about.

"Uh…I think they put Dove." I laughed at Pony's answer quietly and wrote down, "Alice Dove Smith". My friends would have thought that was a pretty bomb name. No, they…didn't exist anymore. My friends were Pony and Johnny, maybe Suze. I filled out the rest of the questions with some girly sounding bullshit.

Man, I hated English teachers. Even if the class itself was my favorite. They were always so cranky and had the dumbest assignments.

I put the stupid questions away and looked up. Two-Bit was holding back another laugh. "How did the homework go, pet? Think you're going to flunk?" I sighed and slammed a glass of chocolate milk, my head overwhelmed with the stress of first day. I was tired and didn't want to think about anything else.

I looked around the small, beat down house. What if I got a job? I could help pay for myself. I thought about all those times I had walked into a diner with the boys and saw a "Help Wanted" sign. Sure, I was 15 going on 16, but I could pass for older. I yelled something about going out and walked over to the nearest restaurant to the house, some cheap place with good fries called LJ's.


	9. Bringing Home the Bacon

Ooh, thank you for the reviews! "katie" and umbridge made my day. Please keep reviewing! I check my email like a fiend and cross my fingers hoping I will get another review. Thank you Staying-gold-for-johnny and leximander for the favorites, as well. Happy Valentine's Day, for those of you that like that sort of stuff...I've never personally been a fan. I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter. Have a wonderful day.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 9: Bringing Home the Bacon

I pushed open the glass doors. The air inside was warm, but not humid. It smelled like fried food. A few afternoon patrons were scattered throughout the restaurant, but no one seemed to be causing a lot of trouble. That would come after dinner time. I knew this from unfortunately having to drag Two-Bit out of several public places after starting a food fight or being a pervert.

"Hello. Can I speak to the manager about a job?" I asked the woman who was mopping up. The red booths and round metallic tables reminded me of a diner from the- oh, okay. I should stop using the 1960's example. It really didn't make sense anymore.

A tough looking man who was probably in his thirties came out from a swinging door, as if on cue.

"What do you want, lady? I don't got time for this." He looked at me with annoyance and I frowned.

"Look, I saw your sign and I want to apply," I responded evenly, deciding to ignore the man's snappy attitude.

He relaxed in a second and I saw how tired he was. "Thank the Lord. Things have been damn busy around here and we need more cheap workers."

I finally broke into a grin. "I'd be happy to work here. I don't have any experience, but I come here a lot with my friends and I know how the system works."

He blinked and thought for a moment, recognition appearing on his face. "Wait, you're that girl that always comes with the fellow with the sideburns…God, I hope you don't plan on bringing him again now that you work here!"

I laughed at this. Of course, no restaurant owner could forget Two-Bit. He had gotten us kicked out of every establishment authorized for the sale of food in town.

"Anyways, that's great! I'm Larry, your new boss. You can start tomorrow, after school I presume. Your shift starts at 3:30. Ends at…let's say, 7:30 for now. We can arrange wages later."

"I'm Alice Smith. Thanks so much!" I waved and left, walking out the doors and down the sidewalk. There was a group of greaser boys outside, smoking and leaning against someone's car. I tried to dampen the natural swing of my hips and walked past, fiddling with an invisible string on my shirt. I glanced up briefly and locked eyes with a tall and dark character. In just a millisecond, I saw a flash of a smirk in his eyes that made me speed up a little. _Holy shit. It's the guy. He probably has no idea who I am. _After passing them, I knew there were at least four pairs of eyeballs staring at my ass. But I was sure the tall one was still gazing at the back of my head.

* * *

><p>As soon as I got home, I crashed on the couch. This dress was about to make me explode so I used the energy I still had to get up and change into a t-shirt and my shorts. I heard the Ford growling into the driveway and Soda came in, making sure to shut the screen door carefully. While he hung up his DX shirt, I took note of his expression and sighed. I saw weariness, confusion, and hurt, until he turned to me with a happy smile.<p>

"Guess what, 7-Up?" I said, smiling and elbowing him, trying to lift his spirits. He grinned wider and started tickling my sides, earning a round of "please stop!" and "I hate you!" from me while I begged for a chance to breathe.

"I got a job at LJ's. I'll be working there tomorrow after school!" I managed, in between giggles.

Soda let me go. "Really? That's great, but…" He trailed off into a worried expression.

"But what?" My own face turned to one of confusion.

"I don't like everyone that hangs around there. I'm just looking out for you."

"Thanks for your concern, Sods. But living with you greasers, I know how to handle myself." I punched him playfully and went to get a bowl of dry cereal. Not to mention how ironic his statement was, about the people that hang around there…

Yeah, that. The tall dark guy? He was definitely the one who, uh, assaulted me that morning when I ran to Johnny's. I had to tell him about this, speaking of. I'm sure the poor guy didn't remember, he had been so drunk, but I was still nervous to be around LJ's if he hung out there a lot.

"Hey, since you had kind of a rough morning a few days ago, I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie tonight? It might take your mind off things." I stared at Soda in shock. "But Soda…you can't stand movies! I'm not coming if you're just going to fall asleep," I teased, sitting back on the couch with a Coke while he started making another cake for tomorrow. Pony would be disappointed that Darry hadn't gotten to it first.

"Well, I don't know. I haven't been to a movie in a long time and I don't think I'll get bored with you around."

I laughed at him and nodded. "Okay, fine. But you are so going to pay if you start dozing off." Plus, this would give me a chance to ask him about that sadness I had spied when he came home.

* * *

><p>Darry got back from work after another hour and fixed dinner. A thick noodle soup that made my nose run from the delicious heat. Only now did I finally accept the fact that had been at the back of my mind all this time: boys ate a <em>lot. <em>After we ate, we all had some of Sodapop's freshly baked cake. It tasted like it had overdosed on sugar steroids.

I changed back into some nicer clothes, putting on some jeans and rolling the bottoms into cuffs. I folded up the sleeves of the black t-shirt I was wearing, and felt a little more natural when I saw myself in the mirror. At least, for 2012. Girls wore dresses and skirts and stuff like that on a normal day basis. Ick.

While I was braiding my hair down the side in the bathroom, Pony came in to do something.

"Alice, you're dressed like a boy!" He laughed at me and folded his arms. I gently shoved him.

"This is what all the girls wear in 2012! 'Cept everything's tighter," I informed him, tying off my braid and sticking bobby pins in to secure the loose strands. I actually felt pretty good looking, but extremely out of place at the same time. Whatever. Dresses were itchy and just so damn hard to run in!

I was waiting on the couch for Soda to finish doing the dishes, and thinking about school. The classes hadn't been very hard and the students were seemingly nice. Suze was really funny and didn't care whether I was a greaser or not (which I'm totally not!). The year ahead was going to be long, but it would get easier to pass the time…right? Hey, I even had a job now. Things were just fine.

I was about to change the channel on the TV when Soda appeared. I grinned and stood up. "Are we walking, or are you driving?"

Now, I would have asked the rest of the gang to come with, but I didn't want to ask Soda about his mood with them there and I sort of wanted it to just be…uh, never mind.

"I'm taking you for the ride of your LIFE!" he shouted, laughing and dragging me to the car. I facepalmed at his ridiculousness and got in shotgun, resting my elbow outside the window and turning up the radio.

Jeez, boys were crazy.


	10. A Really Great Movie

Gosh, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the awesome reviews! I was so, so happy when I saw each of the emails. Please, review again. I feel like this is sort of a reward chapter, if you like Sodapop :)

leximander: Thanks! I am happy that I made your day, because you made MY day with your review! Thank you for appreciating my ability to purposely use bad grammar. I pride myself on that. And thank you for just generally taking an interest in my story!

Staying-gold-for-johnny: Thanks, I honestly do appreciate yours and everyone's kindness and praise. I will try to continue the 'amazing' writing.

Kelly G: Wow, I'm astounded. I personally do not think this is better than the published book, but I'm glad you think it's close enough to compare :) Ohhoho, Alice is definitely someone I want to be. If she were alive, yes, she could be the luckiest girl. And the best fanfiction? You like to flatter me! Thank you for your lovely words.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 10: A Really Great Movie

Eventually we got to the Nightly Double. Soda bought us soda. I mean, he bought popcorn too, but I sort of wanted to say that. Haha. We sat in the back of the lot and threw little kernels at people in front of us, laughing like we were five. Alright, sometimes I was crazy too.

After we were done throwing food, Soda quickly lost focus so I brought up the question.

"Are you alright? When you got back from work you looked…distressed. Sorry for asking, but I was just concerned." I watched him for a sign of response.

He was quiet for a moment, shifting ever so slightly. Suddenly, he smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine! There ain't nothin' for you to be worryin' about." He squeezed my shoulder and grinned, kicking his feet up on the chair in front of him.

I frowned. "Soda, don't lie to me. I saw your expression. There's no way you were 'fine'. Come on, just tell me." After no response, I started again. "Soda, it's because I care about you."

He finally opened his mouth to speak, resting his head in his hands and propping his elbows on his knees. "Okay, okay, but don't say nothin' till I'm done."

"I haven't been too happy with myself, for awhile now. S'why I dropped out. I couldn't stand being able to get an education and waste my time while Darry had to support me and Pony both. Figured I might as well be doin' something I liked instead'a being in school. Now I can help pay the bills and do something I'm actually good at: work with cars. It's easy and you don't gotta be book smart to do it. Still, I just don't know what to do with myself anymore. Sometimes I wish I would just disappear, but then I remember that I gotta watch out for Ponyboy and…you. I don't know anything anymore." He wiped his eyes with his wrist.

I knelt down next to his hunched figure, where he looked smaller than I had ever seen him. He was always confident, so charmingly goofy.

"Sh, Sodapop. What did you say to me about crying?" I smiled weakly and hugged him, gently arranging strands of his hair back in line. "Don't you worry about me neither. I have a job now. I can support myself. And it's very admirable that you would sacrifice for Ponyboy, but you need to keep being young while you can, Soda. Don't grow up too fast like Darry had to. And don't give up! There's a lot to look forward to." I smiled and lifted his chin.

"Like this?" He managed a smile and lightly kissed me.

I don't really know what happened, but I kissed him back.

Yeah yeah, I know! Like, score!

Faster than I had jumped into kissing him, I pulled back in shock. "Soda! I- I am sorry! I totally didn't mean to, that was definitely an inappropriate thing to do. I can't believe myself! Are you okay? I am so insensitive! I really didn't-" My words flew out of my mouth faster than the speed of light (like a neutrino, I thought subconsciously). Had I been listening to myself, it probably wouldn't have made much sense. I stood up and wrung my hands, not knowing what to do with myself. God, I was so smooth, right?

"Alice?" Soda said, interrupting me and standing up as well.

"What?" I squeaked, flinching away as he held me in one place.

"Shut up."

I was mortally confused for about one third of a second, until our lips locked again.

Well, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't like it. Hell, it was the most amazing feeling I've ever experienced. Most of it was a blur, because I was dead to everything. Then we were falling back into the seat and there was no space between us. And my entire body was on fire. And-

"Cough, cough." A voice poorly imitated an actual cough from our left.

"H…H..Holy sh-SHIT!" I whisper screamed, aware of other people still actually watching the movie. I looked up from Soda for a moment and saw none other than Dallas Winston giving us the most superior smirk of his life.

"DAMN, Dallas! Did you just-" I quickly removed myself from Soda, who was muttering something incomprehensible at Dally.

"Ah, Darry told me you two were at the movies. Hope I wasn't interrupting anythin'," he said, a fake look of concern on his face.

"Uh, we weren't, I mean…I wasn't just…" I stammered, looking at the floor.

"I wasn't trying to, you know…" Soda murmured, rubbing his temples.

We were both trying to explain ourselves while Dally listened and nodded, smoking his cigarette.

"I ain't sayin' nothing," Dallas said, putting up his hands in mock surrender but still smirking. My cheeks were burning, and I doubted I would be able to look at either of them without my face turning red for at least a few days.

* * *

><p>The movie was finally over, and Soda drove the two of us home in silence. When we walked in with Dally, the rest of the guys were all watching TV and playing poker. I couldn't think straight. I left Soda, who was laughing and acting completely normal, with the gang and said I was going to bed early. In fact, I curled up on the mattress and thought about things there.<p>

I was elated, too excited to think, but also worried. I hoped what I said had helped Soda. I didn't want him thinking about just disappearing. My stomach kept jumping around, the only thing I could really focus on was how we ended up…well, you know. The k-word. Jeez, I was too tired to be thinking so hard. And then Dally just had to come and interrupt. I wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face for once.

I tried to clear my mind, and after two hours of tossing around, I finally fell into a restless and dreamless sleep.


	11. Bad Owies For Johnny

Oh, you are wonderful people for reviewing. Whenever I get one, I tell one of my friends excitedly and they act like they know what I'm talking about. Keep it up, please!

JJohnson- I am sad I didn't update last night, either. I had to write 8 pages for my English class, and didn't have time to finish typing this chapter. I am pleased that you cared enough to notice, though :) Thanks!

leximander- Slowly, you are becoming my favorite...Sh, don't tell anyone. Thank you for your in-depth reviews. Hehe, I can manipulate your actions through the computer...enjoy the book :3

SGFJ- I love it when books do that to me, so I'm happy I could do that with this story! Thanks for the reviews.

Anyways, this chapter isn't as good as the previous ones. I had to take up some space, get some character development in, you know? I hope you still enjoy it, though. I'll shut up now.

**Disclaimer: **(Yeah, I'm still doing these) The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 11: Bad Owies For Johnny

The next morning, I was eating my slice of cake at the table and listening to the boys chatter loudly. I yawned and wanted to give in to the urge to fall asleep on the table. The thought of going to school was making me sick. Then I had work at LJ's. Ack.

I was finishing off the crumbs and Soda came into the living room, where everyone was glued to the TV.

"Good morning." He came into the kitchen and poured a glass of milk.

"Morning. Have a good day at work!" I replied, as enthusiastically and least awkwardly as I could.

I guess he didn't have an awkward problem, because he slunk an arm around my waist and lightly kissed me. "Have a good day at school."

I dropped the fork I was rinsing abruptly and quickly put the rest of my dishes away. "Th-thanks," I stuttered, watching him walk back into the living room and head out the door with Steve. I glanced around at the boys who were left and thanked God that no one appeared to have seen that. Sighing, I picked up my school bag and walked to the couch, rose still painting my cheeks. There were a few minutes until we had to leave, so I sat down next to Pony on the floor and watched the news program that was playing.

"Change the channel, Two-Bit, this stuff is boring me to death," Ponyboy complained, rubbing his eyes and fingering a cigarette, which he would probably light as soon as we left.

"Hella action in the kitchen, if that's what you want. Ain't that right, Alice?" Two-Bit laughed wildly at his own joke and gave me an evil grin.

"I don't see anything special happening," I said sarcastically, glaring at him. Johnny and Ponyboy looked at Keith with bewildered faces, and he opened his mouth to explain. I quickly put a finger to my lips, then, made a slicing motion over my neck. I wasn't even sure what was with Soda and I, so he definitely wasn't going to tell Pony and Johnny.

"O-KAY! Let's go to school!" I announced loudly, clapping my hands and pushing Pony and Johnny out the door while I gave Two-Bit another look.

* * *

><p>I collapsed on the couch. A combination of school and work had almost annihilated my will to stay awake.<p>

The first day of work had gone pretty well. At LJ's, the girl who was working the counter yesterday showed me the ropes. Her name was Margaret. Soon, I was acting like I had worked there for years.

Only Johnny was there when I got back, which I found strange. "Um…hello, Johnny. Where is everyone?" I questioned, looking up from the couch to where I noticed him at the kitchen table.

"Oh, they're playin' football in the lot."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. "And…why aren't you there?"

"I, uh, my legs are tired."

I rolled my eyes and got off the couch to go sit next to him, pouring a bowl of cereal. "No, really, why aren't you playing?" He didn't answer. "Well, fine then. I saw the guy who attacked me at LJ's yesterday."

He sighed. "I hope he didn't give you any trouble."

"No, I don't think he remembered me."

Johnny looked conflicted. He finally opened his mouth. "I'm not playing because I got bruised up pretty bad last night. It hurts to move, even."

To be honest, Johnny was really my closest friend right now. I had talked to him a lot after I figured out how great he was with advice. And, you know, he had helped me a few days ago and all. So naturally, I was concerned. "Johnny, are you alright? Was it your dad?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he, he came home really drunk last night and my mom made him mad. Then she left. So, I was the only one there."

I frowned. "Here, let me get you some ice." I went to the freezer (or icebox, as they called it) and pulled out one of those blue things, the big squishy bags you fill with water. "Okay, show me where it hurts."

He shifted uncomfortably, then, lifted his shirt to reveal a large blackish bruise that covered most of his abdomen. I let out a gasp. "Johnny, why can't you stay with us? I don't like the idea of you going back to someone who would hurt you like that."

He shrugged and took the ice pack, wincing when the cold surface touched his skin. I bit my lip and put a hand on his shoulder, noticing how he shied away. "Please, do yourself a favor. Just stay here, at least for tonight."

The door whooshed open and loud voices started filling the house. The boys were back from their game. I heard an argument between Steve and Dally over who had done something or other the right way. I couldn't tell you what, I don't understand football.

"Hoo-ee, what's going on in here?" Two-Bit exclaimed, coming in and slapping Johnny on the back good-naturedly.

I snarled at him. "Don't do that."

"No funny business, right?" Soda laughed and came beside Two-Bit. Johnny turned red and I stood up. "You guys leave him alone, or I'll bust your teeth out and make a necklace with 'em."

"Hey Soda, you got a stubborn one here." Two-Bit started laughing and went to get a beer.

Sodapop glared at him. "You better make sure you don't run your mouth off again, or I'll-" They started wrestling on the floor, Two-Bit gaining the upper hand until Soda flipped him over and put him into a half nelson (Darry told me what that was. They had tried to teach me how to wrestle, once). I noticed Dallas smirking at Two-Bit's comment and I shot him a look before turning back to Johnny. "Come on, let's go somewhere else so you can-"

"Hey Johnny, you wanna go to the Tasty Freeze with me?" Pony called, coming over to us. Johnny gave me an apologetic look. "Sure, Ponyboy, let's go. See you later, Al."

I smiled at them and sighed, wishing they would stay in. I was worried something would happen, since it was almost 8:00 and pretty dark out. Nah, Pony was tough and I knew Johnny was actually a pretty good fighter if it came down to it.

"Be careful!" I called after them, putting the blue squishy thingy back into the icebox.

"I'm going to go to bed. My head hurts. See you all in the morning." I walked into the bedroom and took the mattress, even though it wasn't really my night. I was too brain dead to care. Although things up in my noodle were pretty whack, I did curl up and manage to fall asleep.


	12. No Such Luck

Thank you for tolerating the last chapter! This one might be a little abrupt, but whatever. Thank you graybabe for the favorite ;)

leximander- Thanks again for your reviews! I, too, love reading stories that make me crack up at the most random times. Then my mom or my little sister asks me "What's so funny?" and I just shake my head. "Nothing, it's just something I read in a fanfiction." Like I already said, thank you for your review. I do honestly take them into consideration when I write up the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 12: No Such Luck

Someone was shaking my shoulders. Ugh. I lashed out in annoyance and felt someone's warm hands wrap around my wrists. "Sodapop, what are you-" I started, smiling drowsily and rubbing my eyes. Then I saw his panicked expression. "Wait, what's-"

"Pony and Johnny, they never came back. We think they got jumped or something, because there's a…a dead kid at the park, and we found Pony's jacket. I don't know where they are."

My mottled thoughts tried to make sense of this, and I sat up. "Well, we gotta go look for them!" I started to stand up and go for the door but he stopped me.

"Al, we already did. No luck." He sat on the bed and crumpled, massaging the back of his neck. He looked so scared. I was worried too.

"We'll find them, I promise. I'm sure they just fell asleep somewhere on accident and they're coming back soon." I glanced at the clock, which read 5:00 AM. I was trying to come up with something that explained why they were gone for so long, but I could only come to the same conclusion as Soda.

"Yeah," he muttered. I made a silent groan. This was going to be a long day.

The morning passed without much event. I took the day off school to stay and make sure no one did something crazy. Two-Bit, Steve, and Dallas had all been asking around town, searching for information on the boys. The three of them checked in periodically. Two-Bit seemed angry, like he was going to kill whoever was involved with their disappearance, and Steve was easily just as mad; Dally, less than enthused. I frowned and looked over at Sodapop after Steve had left, going to visit RJ (leader of the River Kings, some other gang that operated around here). He had been sitting around the house all day, waiting for the phone to ring with good news. There was nothing.

If there was one thing he noticed, it was that Dally seemed to be withdrawn on this whole situation. I completely agreed.

"I'll talk to him, don't worry about it." I smiled at him. All he did was sit there, unresponsively, not even nodding. My own face was grim. "You should stay here when I go, so someone will be here when they come back. Okay, Dr. Pepper?" I kissed his forehead and sighed, knowing he wouldn't want me to pity him. But I did.

* * *

><p>After work, I went home and told Darry to take care of Sodapop. And that I would be back later, going to visit Dally.<p>

I knocked on the door to Buck Merril's place and walked in, before someone could answer the door. Buck looked up from where he was. The lanky cowboy turned an eye at me and crushed a beer can that he had just emptied.

"Where is Dallas staying?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Who are you to be asking?" he drawled out, his eyes now going to visit other parts of my body. Oh, gross. Anyways, who was I exactly…?

"I'm his sister, and if you don't tell me where he is now, you'd better hope Dall doesn't find out that you tried to cop a feel." It was fun to act badass, and Ponyboy had told me that you could make Buck do anything if you bullied him a little.

He blinked slowly in confusion. I rolled my eyes. He probably wasn't that intelligent to begin with, and I doubted being drunk helped. "What…I don't think I-" Then, a spark of amusement crossed his face. "Ah, clever little fox. No wonder you're related. Second door to the right," he finally disclosed, gesturing to some stairs.

I hadn't really noticed it before, but now the Hank Williams music was really pissing me off.

_Hey, hey, good lookin', _

_Whatcha got cookin'? _

_How's about cookin' somethin' up with me? _

_Hey, sweet baby, _

_Don't you think, maybe,_

_We could find us a brand new recipe? _

_I got a hot-rod Ford and a two-dollar bill_

_And I know a spot right over the hill._

_There's sodapop, and the dancin's free, _

_So if you wanna have fun come along with me. _

Along with all of the drunken partygoers making passes at me while I shoved up the stairs.

I knocked on the door a few times.

"Fuck off, I'm busy."

"Dallas Winston, I want to talk to you." I frowned at him. A second whiny voice started to talk hastily.

"Give me a second!" he barked loudly, going back to argue with the high pitched voice. I clucked my tongue and leaned on the wall, counting the cracks in the floor.

Most loudly, a girl with heavily darkened eyes pushed out of the room and gave me a death glare. "This is the only time, alright, skank?" I was only surprised as she started down the stairs and I walked inside. "So Dally, who…who…was that lovely skirt?" I said, pausing in between words when I looked up and saw him not wearing a shirt.

He looked at me in annoyance and slid a belt through the loops in his jeans. "Sylvia," he hissed, glaring at me, "and you just interrupted us."

I narrowed my eyes for a moment, then, chuckled to myself. "Well, payback's a bitch, Dallas." Sometimes, I cracked myself up. "Listen, let me get to the point. I know that _you _know something about Ponyboy and Johnny. Frankly, I don't expect you to tell me, but would you try and give this to them?" I handed him a letter that Soda had given me before I left, practically begging me to bring it to Dally. "It's for Ponyboy, from Sodapop."

"So, you really are his steady now?" He said, taking the letter and lighting a cigarette. He smiled, and by smiled, I mean smirked.

"No, I am not his 'steady'." _We just kiss each other a lot, _I thought to myself sarcastically. "Will you just give Pony the letter? I'll tell Soda and Darry you don't know anything. As long as that gets through, somehow."

"Yeah, yeah, savvy. Now scram, I don't want Buck thinking I'm messin' around with my 'sister'."

I was about to ask how he heard that, but I decided to just forget it. He was Dallas Winston, what did I expect? "Fine, candyass. Clean up your act or I might just tell him differently."

I made my way back downstairs. Hank Williams was still on. It baffled me how so many people could stand to party here with Buck's poor taste in music.

_Did you ever see a Robin weep,_

_When leaves begin to die?_

_That means he's lost his will to live._

_I'm so lonesome I could cry._

_The silence of a falling star,_

_Lights up a purple sky._

_And as I wonder where you are,_

_I'm so lonesome I could cry._

* * *

><p>When I got back home, I found Darry and Sodapop both sitting quietly in the kitchen. I was a little freaked out. How long had they been just waiting there, waiting for anything? "Hey Soda, I gave Dally the letter. He says he doesn't know anything, though."<p>

The two of them looked up at the same time, like zombies. "Thanks, Alice. No news here." Soda briefly caught me up to speed.

"Why don't I watch the phone for a while? If it rings, I'll be sure to wake you up. Please, get some sleep," I pleaded, going to sit at the table by the phone to prove myself. "At least for a few hours." I was tired too, from being awoken at five in the morning, but I don't think either of them had slept in at least 24 hours.

"I don't know, Alice. I'm not really that tired."

Says Darry, with dark circles already forming under his pained eyes. "I'm not stupid, just go to sleep for awhile. Two hours. I promise."

He looked at me with a resigned expression. "Fine. But you let me sleep for more than two hours and I'll whip you."

"Yeah, sure you will, Darry. Soda, you go too."

"Thanks, Al. Wake me up if you need something." Soda finally said something else. He was trying to be helpful, still as understanding as ever, but it was severely wimpy.

"Okay, I will."

They went to their respective rooms and I relaxed, turning on the news. I definitely wasn't going to wake them up in two hours, they needed more time. The least I could do was this, staying up and waiting for the phone to ring.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** The two songs I used were "Hey, Good Lookin" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (in that order), both by Hank Williams. I was freaking out, trying to figure if they were in the public domain or not, until I finally affirmed I could use them xD


	13. Taking A Break

Hello again! I hope you all had an excellent day. Here's another chapter for you. I might even post 14 later, too, if I get around to it.

leximander- There I go again, making you do things through the computer. I do plan on somewhat following the events of the story, but they won't happen necessarily in the same fashion. And I don't know if Johnny or Dally is going to die yet...you'll have to wait and see (so will I, honestly). Whenever I read the book I end up crying for some reason or another, too. Also...don't try to find a reason for why you write long reviews on this, because then you will probably realize how irrational it actually is and stop. I tried to put in more action, just for you :3

IcyKaku55- Like I mentioned already, your buttload of emails has pleased me immensely. Thank you for the favorite and alert thingy (don't know what to call it)! I appreciate all of your reviews, here's another chapter for you to read! And don't worry, I like it when people demand things from me...makes me feel wanted...*cries*

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton. Maybe I should start copying and pasting this instead of typing it out every time.

Chapter 13: Taking A Break

About an hour after I sent Soda and Darry to bed, Two-Bit and Steve came through the door. "Hey guys. News?" I greeted, getting up from my spot at the table. They both shook their heads in defeat, hanging up jackets and taking off shoes.

"Arjay said the dead kid was a Soc who was well known, even in these parts. He liked to jump greasers a lot," Steve said, taking some cake from yesterday. Normally it would have been all gone, but no one had really eaten in the past day.

"The Fuzz was over by where it happened again. Had it all sectioned off and there were cops everywhere." Two-Bit sat down on the couch and I wished Pony and Johnny were sitting there next to him.

"Thanks, guys, for looking for them. Soda and Darry are really…stressed right now. I made them take a break from watching the phone, they're sleeping, so stay quiet." Everything was already unusually quiet in the house, but I didn't like it one bit. The boys should be playing cards, laughing at each other, and chasing each other out of the house.

* * *

><p>The next couple of hours passed in silence, with Two-Bit making the occasional lame joke to try and keep things tolerable. I smiled slightly at his attempts, but mostly focused on the news. There was one story that kept being thrown in my face. Two Delinquents Missing, One Boy Found Dead.<p>

Okay, Darry's threat was sort of getting to me, so I finally went in to wake him up. I crept down the hallway, flinching every time the floors creaked under my feet.

"Time to get up, Dar," I said, opening the door and shaking him lightly. He didn't move. Maybe he was faking it. "Wake up. You told me to!" I added, shaking him a little more vigorously. He groaned in response and I giggled. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you I tried." I left him to sleep more and went into the other bedroom, where Soda was. Even though no one was even watching, I started to blush profusely. Aw, he was just so…so cute! At least when he was sleeping, he didn't have his worried and depressed expression. It was just calm. I grudgingly poked his face. "Wake up, Soda." He, like Darry, made a groaning sound, although his sounded more like a child. I laughed and flicked his nose. "Come on, this is the last time I'll say it."

He peeked through one eye and smiled brilliantly for just a second, then his face fell. "Did anyone call?" he asked right away, sitting up and yawning.

"No, no one called. Darry wouldn't wake up, so I decided to leave him be. You will too, right?" I said, sitting next to him. He nodded in response and I held in a small yawn of my own. "Steve and Two-Bit are in the other room, watching the news, so you don't need to wake up if you're still tired," I continued, adding an ounce of hope into my last request. Sodapop shook his head and stood up. "No, I should really go back out there. Dar's fine, we can let him sleep."

I was pleased with his sentence, at least he had taken time to respond. It seemed the longer Pony and Johnny were missing, the more Soda decided to be productive. "Well…alright. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" I gave him a hug, which I was pleased to feel he returned. Then he started sobbing into my shoulder, his body shaking. Awesome.

"Sh, Soda. It's okay," I comforted, patting his back gently.

"What if they're dead? What if they never come back? I'll never see Ponyboy again. He was so young, he ain't done nothin' wrong. Neither of them deserved it." I guess all of those fears and unanswered questions and emotions had let loose at once. I heard Steve say something to Two-Bit in the living room and got up to close the door, coming back to sit with Soda again.

"Soda, don't say that. I promised you we'd find them, and I don't make a promise unless I mean it. They are _not _dead, so don't say that either," I insisted, trying as hard as I could to erase that doubt in his mind.

He let out a few more sobs then shrugged and wiped his eyes. "Yeah, okay, Alice. I believe you."

I wasn't sure if he actually believed me, I wasn't sure if I actually believed myself, but that was good enough for me.

* * *

><p>Today was Friday, when I was supposed to be going to Suze's house. I woke up early and got through most of the school day fine, with the exception of gym. We were playing soccer outside; the gym teacher claimed he wanted to take advantage of as many nice days as possible. Now, don't get me wrong, I like sports. I've never been lazy, or really good at them, but at my old school people usually picked me third or fourth for teams. That is, after all of the show-offs had been divided up.<p>

If there's one sport I can't stand, it's soccer. I'm sure it's fun to play, but the real problem is that I have a phobia of soccer balls. I'm not really sure why, maybe something happened to me when I was a toddler, but I can't do anything but run away from the ball or freeze up when I see one. Therefore, whenever someone would kick the ball to me, I would squeal like a pig and spook, covering my head like something was going to hit me. They got fed up with me and put me in as goalie, which was worse. As soon as Kyle (some dick who played soccer on a team) had the ball, he kicked it straight at me. Yeah, that ball was flying straight for my face. I was so terrified that I started to cry. Mr. Fredrickson (gym teacher) sent me down to the nurse.

Anyhow, I got home from school and started to get ready for work. I had mentioned the sleepover to Darry yesterday but he hadn't really responded, so I assumed that meant…yes. Work flew by without any hitches, but someone spilled 7-Up all over my uniform. Things weren't going so great today, I guess.

* * *

><p>"Darry, are you taking me to Suze's?" I yelled, as soon as I came in the door. I ran to my room to change into some normal, non-sticky clothes and rushed to fix my hair.<p>

"How late are you gonna stay, kiddo?" he called back from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes slightly. "Darry, it's a sleepover! You can come get me tomorrow, at 11 or something!" I howled back, coming out from the bathroom and into the living room.

"Hey Alice, how was work?" Soda asked, looking up from his magazine briefly.

"Alright, fine! But if you get into any trouble there, I'll whip you for real, you hear me? We can't…we can't have you going missing too."

"It was fine, Soda, how about you? Thanks, Darry! I swear I won't."

"It went good."

"Soda, it went 'well', not good."

"Whatever!"

The entire conversation lasted about 30 seconds, and then I was out the door with Darry. I had already packed a bag for this, knowing I would have little time to if I waited until today. Darry pulled out of the driveway and I bit my lip, not enjoying the sudden quiet atmosphere. I rolled the window down and stared outside, cold autumn wind slapping me in the face. "So…how's life?" I asked lamely, to break the silence. Darry just looked at me for a while, then turned back to the road. I hunkered down in my seat. "O-kayy…" I murmured to myself, clutching my bag.

"Life's good, Alice," he finally said, driving up to the address I had given him. I laughed awkwardly and opened the door to get out. "Well, thanks for the ride!" I said cheerfully, thankful to be out of that horribly rendering atmosphere.

"No problem. Stay outta trouble, kid."

I watched the truck drive away and let myself relax, going into the building and climbing up the stairs to Suze's floor. Maybe this would be good, help me have some fun instead of fretting about Pony and Johnny all the time and taking care of Sodapop and Darry.

**A/N **If you likey, reviewy, pleasy.


	14. Sleepover With Suze

Woohoo, almost 20 reviews! Thank you so much, readers, for making me so happy! I feel that my writing has already improved with your advice.

Thank you Clarissalightwood5679 for the alert thingy!

leximander- The main reason I even had the soccer thing in is because in real life, I have a similar phobia of basketballs and I thought it would add a little flavor to Alice's character. Once again, thank you for your reviews! I am happy you found time to write one.

SGFJ- Don't you worry about me stopping anytime soon. This story is still young, it's got a lot of life left in it for me to manipulate! Thank you for the compliments and reviews.

By the way, this chapter is pretty short, sorry! Also, this makes 20,000 words! Awesome! I feel pretty accomplished.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 14: Sleepover With Suze

The door burst open in front of me and I squeaked. "Hi, Alice! Man, nice to see you!" Suze greeted loudly, taking my bag and opening the door wider so I could get inside. Her normally wild and curly hair was even crazier. I went inside and took in these new surroundings.

The apartment had a lot of colorful furniture, an orange couch and verdant green armchairs. From what I knew of her, the place really fit her personality. A woman with short black hair looked up from where she was slicing some sort of fruit. "Welcome, dear! I'm Deidra, Suzanne's mother. You must be Alice? I've heard a lot about you!" I felt guilty now, because I hadn't told anyone much about Suze. "Oh, nice to meet you. Yeah, that's me," I responded, being tugged away by Suze to her bedroom.

She threw my bag on her bed and I was dumbfounded. Her room was so awesome! It was everything I had wanted in a room. My parents had never let me do anything special, and I don't really think Soda and Pony would appreciate the girliness level. The walls were purple, a vibrant lavender color, and there was a huge window that overlooked the city. Her wood floor was covered in the middle by a yellow shag rug. Her bed was covered with a blue canopy. The dresser and nightstands were red.

Her walls were plastered with pictures and posters. Posters of movie stars, singers; pictures of Tulsa and herself in memorable locations. There was Elvis, Mick Jagger, The Beatles, and...was that Clint Eastwood? I saw pictures of her standing under a huge dinosaur, hugging an enormous tree, and standing in the wake at an ocean. It took me a minute to look at everything, and Suze watched me quietly. "I love your room!" I finally exclaimed, which brought on a fit of giggles.

"Okay, so let's get to know each other. I've only talked to you at school, and you never said a lot about yourself. So, I'll start!" I nodded a little and walked around her room slowly, looking at more pictures. I saw one where her face was right in the camera, her tongue lolling out and her eyes holding an energetic fire. I smiled to myself.

"My favorite food is lima beans. I don't have a favorite color, because I like them all equally. My favorite song is Girl Happy by Elvis. I've got two sisters in college named Hallie and Rena. Now you go."

I blinked slowly. Lima beans, Girl Happy, Hallie and Rena. Okay. "Uh...popcorn is my favorite. I like the color green. I don't...um...my favorite song is Eleanor Rigby? I don't have any siblings."

Now I saw a picture of her that was hung up on a bulletin board. Half of it was folded behind the front. I plucked it off and smoothed out the crease, raising an eyebrow. The picture was of Suze, her hair up in a high ponytail, and a boy with black greased hair sitting on the hood of a car. Her mouth was open in laughter, and the boy was looking at her and smiling rather than the camera.

"Who's this?" I asked, handing her the picture. She seemed embarrassed.

"Oh…uh…ha. That's Chris."

I frowned skeptically, and poked her as I sat down next to her. "And who's Chris?"

"He was my boyfriend. But not anymore," Suze said hastily, almost with annoyance. I gave a small smile. "Oh, that's cool. So, where's your dad?" I quickly changed the subject, turning to face her. She lightened up and smiled.

"My dad's at work right now! He works in California. He's an artist. Here." She handed me a different picture happily. It was her and her dad, I guessed. Her dad was another wild looking man, and I knew who she got her looks from now. They had the same nose, the same ears, the same turquoise eyes. I grinned to myself. "Wow, he looks pretty cool."

"Yeah, I love my dad," she said, beaming at me. "What about your old man? What's he like?"

"I don't have a dad." I said, staring at her evenly while her face fell. "Oh…what about your mom? I'll bet she's really beautiful, like you!"

"She was," I said, appreciating the compliment. Suze looked even sorrier and I smiled. "It's okay. I was…er…adopted, so I didn't know who they were."

"Oh! Okay! What are your adoptive parents like?" she asked, with a renewed happiness.

"I…um…they died." Jeez, the more I talked the deeper I dug this hole.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry Alice. Who do you live with, then?"

Finally, a question I could answer. "I live with the Curtises. Do you know them? Their parents, they were my adopted parents." Alright, this was starting to make a little sense now.

"Er…oh, isn't that Ponyboy?" Suze knew Ponyboy because we always sat with him at lunch, but I guess I had never mentioned that I lived with him.

"Yeah, I live with Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry." I smiled at her, glad that that total lie had gone through smoothly. I would have to write it down somewhere.

"Sodapop! You live with Sodapop Curtis? Wow Alice, you're like, the luckiest girl on Earth!" she squealed, giggling. "He's so hot!"

I grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Uh, yeah, he's pretty cute, but he's my…um, I guess he's my adopted brother?" Wow, that eliminated the chance of me telling her about how we had made out at the movies. Deidra knocked lightly on the door and brought us a plate of sliced mangoes. "Hope you're having fun, girls!" She winked at us on her way out and Suze and I started giggling again.

"Hey, I heard Ponyboy was missing? It said so on the news and he hasn't been in school. What's the deal?" Suze stretched out on the floor and looked up at me expectantly, popping a mango slice in her mouth.

"He ran away. Him and Johnny." Things got pretty heavy suddenly. Great, this is just what I was trying to get away from.

"I wonder when they're coming back. Lunch is pretty boring without them." Suze rolled over and shut her eyes. I was astonished. Such a normal response. For once, someone wasn't instantly giving me pity. They weren't starting to freak out, ask if I was okay, or begin to speak my own fears out loud. I knew in that moment that Suze was my friend. She was the kind of person I wanted to be friends with.

I grinned.

"Yeah, it is pretty boring, don't you think?"

**A/N **So...anyone want to leave me my 20th review? Maybe I can get three more reviews before the next chapter. 22. My favorite number!


	15. Something To Do

Well, thanks for the 22 reviews, even if some of them were faulty *ahem*Icy*ahem*! I like it. I like it real good. Please keep reviewing! I also like this chapter, it was pretty easy to write.

leximander- Lol, I was thinking the same thing. She is going to have a tough time explaining that. Maybe Suze will be the first one to know what her real name is, when she tells all in a moment of emotional instability...eh. Thanks!

IcyKaku- heheh, I love it when technology backfires. Not. Thank you for your reviews, regardless of content and technical soundness.

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 15: Find Something To Do

The tick of the living room clock was really bugging me. It kept reminding me how lame I was right now, sitting on the couch and watching TV with nothing to do. On the weekends, I would usually be out doing something with Ponyboy and Johnny. Unfortunately, they were not here. It was…the third day they had been missing? I hadn't realized how slow life was going, just waiting for them. Police officers had stopped searching the sidewalk where it happened, and people weren't talking about it as much at school. But they did start whispering when the teacher did roll call and forgot that Johnny and Pony were gone.

I was home alone, right now, since Darry and Soda were working. Dally had been arrested last night while I was gone, for who knows what. Two-Bit was being forced to clean the house by his mother, who had finally gotten fed up with the extensive amount of money she had to spend on beer for him.

Last night had been really helpful. I felt a little looser and a less tense in general. I smiled and looked at my nails, which Suze had painted a gradient of colors. The sleepover had been a lot of fun, but I still sort of regretted not telling her about Sodapop. Well, I don't think I even could, now that she thought he was my brother.

That reminded me. I decided to get off my ass and do something. I slipped on my Converse (one of the few clothing styles still approved of in 1965) and put on my jacket. Today I was in a pair of rolled up jeans and a t-shirt. If I tucked my hair away, I could have passed for a boy. Instead, I put my long hair up in a ponytail and started walking to the DX.

I came in through the glass doors that were covered in advertisements and was presented with the smell of bubblegum. The aisles in the store were stacked with snacks of all kinds, things that made my stomach grumble slightly. Blue, plastic cushion stools lined the counter. There was no one there, but I heard clanking noises coming from an open door.

"Yo, Steve, bring me a Coke!" I hollered, making a clicking noise and pointing two finger guns at him.

"Get your own damn Coke, ya lazy fat ass!" he howled back, coming out from a door behind the counter and grinning.

"Did someone say my name?" Soda said, laughing goofily and following Steve from the same door. I grabbed a Coke out of the display freezer on the counter and popped the cap. "Hi guys. It was boring at home, so I came to pay a visit."

"You'd better be _payin' _for that Coke, too, missy!" Steve gave me a pointed look while he wiped his blackened hands on a rag.

"Relax, buddy. How you doin', Al?" Soda tossed a dime at Steve, who glared at me and caught it, putting it in the register for my Coke. "Thanks, Soda. I'm fine. Uh, how are _you _holding up?" I asked, a little hesitant. Soda shrugged and Steve took out some chewing tobacco. I guess he was smart enough not to smoke in a gas station.

"I'm doin' good. Working makes it easier."

Refrain from going grammar Nazi. I nodded vaguely and walked behind the counter, looking into the garage that they had both come out of. There were three cars inside, the huge garage door opened wide and letting sunlight in. I could see the first row of pumps, peeking around the wall and to my left. "So, what were you guys doing?"

"Oh, just building a house, you know," Steve said sarcastically, walking past me and back into the garage. I rolled my eyes.

"Some grease came in with this old thing. Overheated his engine. We were repairing some leaky pipes." Yeah, great. What does that mean? Sodapop followed Steve and made a motion with his hands to invite me out after them. I walked into the garage and wrinkled my nose. It smelled like oil and…I don't know what else it smelled like, but it smelled toxic. That explained why Steve and Soda were so loony, spending all this time in such bad air.

Steve had gone back under the car and I went over to take a look. The inside was a shocking red color. I giggled. Who would even buy a car with that much red? The outside was a spotless white with chrome details. Normally, you might be surprised that a greaser would own a car this well-groomed, but I knew better. Although they might not have Mustangs or Sting-Rays, a greaser's pride was in two things: his hair and his car. No matter the model, I never found a decrepit looking vehicle.

"So, how was the sleepover? You didn't do anything illegal, right?"

I grinned and started to look at the other two cars. "It was a lot of fun, and no; we didn't do anything illegal. In fact, we had a quiet night of gossiping and nail painting." I wiggled my fingernails at Soda. I was really glad for him. Glad that he was finally taking his mind off of Ponyboy and Johnny. He seemed to be enjoying himself, actually, but I knew it couldn't be. His eyes were red and had heavy dark circles. His skin was pale and almost sickly looking from lack of sleep. From multiple feet away, he looked his same old self, but when I walked up to him it was so obvious.

A bell noise rang from somewhere, and a blue car rolled in to one of the pumps I could see. "I got it!" Soda announced to Steve, going out of the garage and disappearing. Hm…I hid behind the wall and poked my head out, watching him carefully.

"Hey, Soda! It's nice to see you." A girl with wavy brown hair leaned out of the driver's window and a girl with short curly blonde hair giggled in the shotgun.

"Hello, Tricia, and is that…um, Lori, right?" Soda smiled and started to fill the gas tank, the girls erupting into a fit of giggles again.

"Soda, how've you been? I heard your brother and that other kid killed someone. That's sad, they must have been really hard to take care of if they were that rebellious." The girl identified as Tricia piped up again, putting on a slightly concerned face. I saw Soda forcefully slam the nozzle into the car and slowly turn towards her.

Before this turned into an episode of CSI: Tulsa, I skipped out next to Soda and the car. "HEY, Soda!" I said cheerfully, smiling at the girls. "And who are you two?" I asked politely, keeping eye contact with them but assuming a position that restricted Sodapop's movement.

"Um…I'm Tricia. That's Lori." The brown haired girl gave me a doubtful look. "And who are _you_?" she added, wrinkling her nose. I was about to give that skirt what was coming for her, until I remembered my masculine attire. She probably thought I was a freak. Well, I am a freak. Anyways, I didn't blame her for her disgust.

"I'm Alice, nice to meet you!"

"So Alice, how do you know Sodapop?" Lori spoke this time, giving me another doubtful look.

"Oh, she's just my friend!" Sodapop said, now coming up next to me. He put an arm around me and one in his pocket, leaning in to kiss my cheek adorably. I held back a toothy smile and gave the girls a happy look. I could hear the malice and fire in Soda's voice while he stared them down. "You're full," he said, a little more coldly.

"Er, thanks, Sodapop. Nice meeting you too, Alice." Tricia handed Soda a five dollar bill for the gas and drove off. I turned to him, watching his expression fall.

"Don't let those bitches get to you, Soda. It doesn't matter what people say about you, as long as it's not true," I comforted, slightly afraid of his angry expression. He might be sad, annoyed, hurt, but he was never angry. Fortunately, his face cleared up after a few more seconds.

"You're right, it was nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Let's go see how Steve's doing."

I sighed and went after him back into the garage, looking wistfully back at the car that was driving away. How I wished my life could be that simple. But…I'm not even living the life that's mine.

**A/N **So...we reach the end of 15. Once again, please leave a review, even if it's just a short comment. It won't make me love you forever, but probably at least 20 minutes.


	16. Finally

First of all, I am impossibly sorry for not updating sooner. I didn't know how to write this next chapter, until this morning at around 3 AM I just grabbed my notebook and this came out. I actually started writing this three different times, but was unhappy with the result on every occasion. Thank you, marauderluv94 for the review, favorite, and alert thingy! It's always good to know that I have another reader. Also, thank you asherandjeanclaude for the favorite :) And, both Icy and leximander as always for your consistent reviews.

Meanwhile, I posted a short story called Poker Face that involves all of the characters in this story. I would appreciate it if you would take the time to check it out, it's supposed to be just a funny little anecdote about one night of poker playing for the gang :3

Please enjoy this chapter, I think the next chapter will also be focusing on the experience at the hospital. Don't be too mad for my lack of updates :?

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 16: Finally

The rest of the day passed peacefully. Sodapop and Steve let me hang around for another hour or so, until I had to stop distracting them from work and go back to the house. I don't know what it was, but every minute I spent away from someone grew emptier and emptier until the silence was deafening. The sound of my pencil scratching out trigonometric functions, the old dirty clock on the wall, the chugging and honking of freight trains- they all seemed to be mocking me. The fact that I, useless Alice, was sitting here finding the cotangent of triangles and there was nothing I could do to bring Johnny and Ponyboy back. I slammed my textbook shut and folded my notebook over, shoving the items into my book bag that slumped lifelessly on the floor.

That was another thing I couldn't get over. Me? My? Alice. I whispered the name to myself, the word dripping out of my mouth like poison. I made my way to the bathroom, each footstep dragging me farther into this character.

Water ran out of the faucet and my small, delicate hands reached out to touch it. The ice cold substance slid around my skin, gliding up so it enveloped my wrists in a thin gloss. My hands turned to cup the water, liquid pooling in my palms. I splashed it on my face and looked into the mirror, watching miniscule droplets fall off.

I looked directly into her eyes, her glaucous blue eyes. They weren't exceptionally vivid, nor were they extremely enticing; they were simply a pleasant gray blue color that you might find on any average person. Long and thin black lashes framed each eyeball, curling upwards and drawing my attention to her eyebrows. They started off with a medium thick strip of brown hair, angling upwards until they veered off horizontally and faded out with a subtle curve. The flesh was not raw looking and a few hairs grew out of place, so these eyebrows were never plucked. Overall, the eyes I saw were nice looking.

White, sick looking skin was surrounded by a dark river of brown hair. It wasn't the color of chocolate; no, that was too cliché. The shade reminded me of ironwood, I remembered walking on floors made of the same tree at an environmental research center. Some field trip, I think. The rich brown was tinged by several strands of a russet color, hanging straight down her shoulders where it fell below her chest in neatly trimmed ends. There was nothing particularly interesting about the style, save from a couple of kooky short wisps in the front that couldn't decide which side of the part to sit on.

This didn't seem like me, my brain was seeing this as another person. Finally, I grew concerned. What I had failed to notice before was the strained expression in the eyes, as if life was stretching her out over an area that was too large. Dark shading from lack of sleep; her skin as pale as if she had just seen a ghost. Not to mention the dryness: white flakes of skin would dust off when she reached a tentative hand up to pat her cheek. Yes, rather suddenly, it was me again.

Nope, not Alice anymore. Now, I couldn't stand to pretend anymore. Although it pains me to say it, it was…it was Shay this time, not Alice. Yeah, okay, you got it out of me, my name is actually Shay.

I let out a hoarse breath as I heard the screen door creak open and took one last lingering look at myself before I went back into the living room. Darry was standing there, his broad chest blocking the door while he beckoned to me hurriedly. His face showed happiness, an emotion he never displayed.

"Alice, they're back! At the hospital. Come on, we gotta see them now!" He reached forward and grabbed my arm, hauling me out the front door while I quickly slipped on my shoes. They were back? They were safe? I was overjoyed, somewhere, but didn't know how to express it physically except to repeatedly open my mouth to speak. Nothing came out. I opened the car door and was yanked in by Soda, who was bouncing up and down like a little boy on his way to Disney World.

"Hurry up, Dar! Alice, we're going to see Pony!" Soda was so ecstatic that he embraced me, kissing my face and nearly sobbing of joy. I blushed furiously and scrambled into my own seat, Darry looked like he was going to pop a vein. I rubbed the back of my neck, then, went to tie my shoes properly. "Uh…yes. Why are they at the hospital? Did they get hurt?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure what happened but I know Dally's there too. Damn, Alice, I'm so happy I could cry and I ain't even seen the kid yet." Sodapop told me what was going on and grinned hugely, tapping out a rhythm on his leg while Darry sped down the road.

I gritted my teeth. "Hey Soda, call me Shay. Alice isn't my real name,"

"What? I mean, Al- er, uh, Shay, that's a pretty tuff name!" Soda looked at me with a somewhat confused face.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" For the first time, I noticed Steve in the shotgun seat and blushed again. Great.

"When Two-Bit found me, I didn't know where I was or if I could trust you guys. So I said my name was Alice, and it sort of stuck. Sorry. Hi, Steve." Darry was driving like a taxi cab in New York and Soda was gripping my hand, growing more anxious as we neared the hospital. His tawny eyes kept flickering between mine and out the window.

"So, _Shay_, how long you been foolin' around with my buddy here?" Steve cracked a smile at me and shook Soda by his shoulder. I grimaced and was about to retort, but Soda was now talking animatedly to Steve and I didn't want to interfere with…whatever they were saying.

"Okay, just let me get this straight. You're Shay and you an' Soda are…uh, like that?" Darry made some sort of cross gesture between me and Soda and looked at me quizzically in the rear-view mirror.

"Well, I wouldn't say-" Thankfully, I was interrupted by the hospital coming into view. Faster than humanly possible, everyone jumped out of the truck and made a mad dash towards the glass doors. Darry went to the front counter and started to ask for Ponyboy, when suddenly Sodapop started run-walking in that awkward way he always does and wrapped his arms around a vaguely familiar looking boy. "Pony! Oh, Ponyboy, what happened to you?"

Ponyboy looked like he was struggling to breathe. I laughed at the picture of blue-clad Sodapop smothering a dirty Pony and jogged over, joining in on the hug. "Pony. I'm just so glad you're safe. We had no idea what happened…" I broke away from the hug and looked him over, noticing his ash covered face and dirty hair. "Where's Johnny?"

"Yeah, tell us what happened. How did you get like this?" Soda set him down in a waiting chair and sat next to him, still holding Ponyboy with one arm. Some sort of primitive instinct made me just the slightest tiniest smallest bit jealous. Yeah, I'm probably going to hell.

"There was a fire in a church, Jonny and I ran in to save some kids. Dally came after us. I don't know what happened 'cause I got knocked out, but they're both burned pretty bad. We have to wait and see them, we have to." Ponyboy ran a hand through his unkempt, rusty brown hair. "How were things when…when we were gone?"

Darry had now noticed us and pulled Pony back out of his chair, squishing the poor boy in the epitome of a bear hug. "Ponyboy, you don't have a clue how worried we were about you. Use your head, next time, instead'a scaring us half to death! You know we was starting to give up on you." I gave Pony an eye roll, he grinned at me and did the same.

"Pony, we love you. Don't ever run away again." Soda started hugging him again and I smiled. The three brothers were now in a small mob, laughing and talking quietly to each other. Damn, what girl wouldn't give her right leg to be in the middle of that? I laughed happily to myself and sat down on the bench, pulling out a magazine and flipping open to the first page when someone grabbed my arm and reeled me into the hug. I giggled and saw Steve sitting down, shaking his head at the Curtis boys and grinning at us. This is why life was worth it, why all of that pain and sadness had been worth it. It was for moments like these that we suffered.

**A/N **Oh yeah, I also want to mention Alice's real identity. If some of you were lost, I mentioned in the first chapter that she was lying when she said her name was Alice. I was going to make a bigger deal out of the revealing, but I decided it wasn't that important and I just wanted to get it done. So her real name is Shay. I might switch between calling her Shay and Alice, not sure yet.

I would love to hear your comments on what you think about her real name, how Darry and Steve now know about Soda and her, and how you liked the reuniting scene.

THANK YOU 3


	17. Get Well Soon

Whoa! Thanks for the many reviews! We hit 30, which makes me extremely happy! I look back on how far I have come on this story already. Trust me, it hasn't even begun :) Well, technically it has, but whatever.

Thanks go to Petunia132, Becca-luv, and graybabe for the favorites.

**I may not be able to update as often, for the next month or so. I'm probably just exaggerating, but bear with me if I do. The swim season has just started for me and I will be busy with practices and meets and such, and I'm also in the costume crew for our school play and have rehearsals every week. I'm pretty sure I will update at least once a week, but I don't know if I can ever get back to updating every night XD Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you continue to do so!**

Icy: I have never described Shay in any way so I decided to go all out... *shrugs* I also like the name Shay better.

SGFJ: Oh gosh...I sincerely hope you weren't crying...even if you were, I am glad you like it so much (but don't cry anymore xD) As for your demand...I am not liable to answer that. ;)

marauderluv94: I guess the only reason I would call her Alice is when people are forgetting that her name is Shay, or if they haven't been told yet. I don't know why people like the last paragraph so much, I honestly was a little loopy when I wrote it and have never been good at conclusions...I seriously thought it was a terrible way to end...but thanks to you and everyone for liking it so much! You know, thanks for reviews :)

OutsidersFanatic: Another reader! Yay! Thanks for reviewing! Ahhaha, I am just glad people understood that. I wasn't sure if I made it clear enough. I think everyone will have some things to say when they leave the hospital about her new name...and about the hair. Quoting a PM I wrote: In my story, the police were already aware that Johnny and Ponyboy had killed the Soc, as I might have remembered to imply. So I didn't think it was necessary for the two of them to change their hair so they couldn't be recognized.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders novel and characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

* * *

><p><p>

Chapter 17: Get Well Soon

After we had all reconciled with Ponyboy, we were left to waiting. Reporters were yapping at us like little dogs, they wanted to know what life was like when Ponyboy was gone. I put on a sad smile and answered the questions honestly, telling how awful it was at home.

"And what's your name, miss?" a woman said, flipping to a new page in a small notebook and looking at me with an eager face.

"Uh…Alice Smith." My eyes narrowed as a camera flash went off, making me involuntarily flinch. Yeah, I was Shay now, but my name was Alice at school and things might get funky if I said something different. The woman smiled.

"How do you know these three young heroes?"

"Through the Curtises. I'm a friend of the family," I said, glancing at Soda who was talking to another reporter and laughing. The lady nodded a bit too aggressively and was about to say something else when she was interrupted by another bright flash right in our eyes. We both turned with a slightly murderous expression. That was probably the most I had ever liked this nosy woman.

"A picture, of the pretty miss!"

I hit Soda in the arm lightly and giggled. "Give that back to the nice man." I nodded at a frazzled looking young boy who had just locked eyes on Soda and was stamping over. Soda pouted and shrugged the strap of the camera off of his neck, plopping it in the boy's hand and taking a seat next to me. In the corner of my eye, I saw Steve giving the cold shoulder to a man who was pestering him with questions. He looked extremely annoyed.  
>"These reporters are awesome. So much stuff to play with." Sodapop grinned and put his arm around me, waving casually at another photographer who jumped at the opportunity to capture the handsome boy and his female friend.<p>

"Nice hat," I commented without enthusiasm, noticing his fedora that he had possibly taken from another person. "Heard anything about Johnny and Dally?"

Soda shook his head and pushed his stray hairs back, looking up at the photographer again but seeming to see through him instead. "We're still waiting. I think we can see them soon, though. Doctors say Johnny got burned pretty bad on one side of his body. Dally, even worse. I hope they make it, Al…Shay."

I sighed, slumping into the nook of his arm and shutting my eyes. We had already been here for two hours, and it was around 9 o' clock. "Soda, I'm tired. I don't want to worry about them anymore. Why can't the doctors just let us see them?" I mumbled this drowsily, shifting in my seat so he could be my attractive pillow.

"I don't know, Shay. I'm tired of this too." He leaned his head against the wall and held me tighter, the shared warmth putting me to sleep almost instantly. The last thing I could see was the dying flashes of light from cameras, still trying to encapsulate Soda's being in one picture.

* * *

><p>Someone woke me up by shaking me lightly. My eyes flickered open unwillingly, because I brain still remembered where I was and why I was here. "Can we….see them?" I broke my own speech with a yawn and rubbed my eyes. I felt Soda take my hand reassuringly and pull me gently to my feet, keeping one arm around my waist. "The doctors said we can go in. I think Darry and Steve were going to see Dally first, you wanna go with?" He was handling me like porcelain, so I wiggled out of his arm and smiled.<p>

"If it's alright with you, I wanted to see Johnny first. Can I talk to him for a little bit?" I'm not saying that Dally wasn't important too. Soda showed a little bit of a grin at my defiance and nodded. "Sure, you go ahead. We're in room…328, I think, so we'll come over when you're done. Or you can come over when we're done. I dunno." He shrugged and looked at the ground for a moment, blushing a little. It was my turn to grin. "Okay, see you in a little bit. What room is Johnny in?" I asked, realizing that I had just let go of his hand too early because I had nowhere to go. Poo.

"302. Uh…Shay, I…um, bye." He waved and turned the other way, jaunting down the hall and into 328. I laughed and went the opposite way, peeking into 302.

"Johnnycake?" I timidly stepped in the door, seeing a blackened boy lying in the hospital bed. It was terrible; half of his long black hair was singed and short. His skin was rippled and burned on his left side, looking pink and raw. I moved in and sat on the edge of his bed, reaching out to touch his hand. I felt a surge of sadness come when he smiled up at me, the whites of his eyes standing out in the mess of dark colors. "Hey, Alice! I really missed you. How you doin'?"

I laughed and decided to ignore the name thing for now, it was probably too much to put on him at the time. "Johnny, I know I said you could take care of me, but I think the situation has changed. I want to know how you are. Does it hurt a lot?" I lifted my hand and tucked his hair back, surveying the damage done to his face. He winced when I accidentally poked a burn.

"Not so much, they have me on some painkiller. I ain't seen myself yet, is it real bad?" He looked at me with the most vulnerable expression ever and shifted so he was sitting more upright.

"Well…" I trailed off, sighing with defeat as I looked over his marred body again. "You look normal on the right, but your whole left side isn't too pretty. I'm sure the doctors can do something, though." I wasn't sure if that was true, but I knew that at least in 2012, plastic surgery was far more advanced. "So, how was it at the church?" Ponyboy had already told me the story of where they went and everything.

"Lonely as ever. We ate a lot of bologna. Hate the stuff now." He grinned weakly at me and I smiled, going to take his hand again.

"And? What about…showering and stuff?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Come on, Alice. We're boys, d'you think we showered?"

"But that's disgusting! Oh, by the way, my name isn't-" I decided to start explaining, since he was more energized than I had anticipated, when Soda came in the room.

"Shay, we just got done talking to Dally, so is it alright if we come in here…" His sentence got a little quieter and he seemed to lock on to my hand that was holding Johnny's like wolf on its prey. I smiled awkwardly and stood up, moving towards the door and to Soda's side where I entwined my fingers in his. "That's fine, I can talk to Johnny some more tomorrow. Can I go see Dally, now?" I looked up at him, but he seemed to be more interested in Johnny at the moment and was giving the injured boy a cantankerous stare.

"Yeah, go ahead. Steve and Darry are still there, tell them where I am when you go." I smiled and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his jaw, unlocking myself from him and going to stand in the doorway. "Goodbye Johnny, I'll come back again after school tomorrow!"

I waved to Soda and Johnny before trotting down the hall and entering 328. "Dally! Nice dress!" I grinned at the boy, who was burned even more than Johnny.

"And that's how I got that purple spot on my bellybutton."

I heard just the end fragment of a conversation that I am extremely glad I missed. Steve was grinning widely at Dally, who was in hysterics.

Luckily for him, the flames had only licked the bottom of his chin, leaving a large portion of his face unscarred except for a small patch on his cheek. The fair haired boy looked up and saw me, the corners of his mouth twitched. I saw that most of his arm was covered in red, irritated flesh, and glimpsed a series of lighter burns covering his neck. "Yeah yeah, good to see you too. This thing is killing me." He pulled at the front of the hospital gown, looking more helpless than I had ever seen him.

"How are you? And most importantly, why wouldn't you tell us where they were?" I crossed my arms and sat down in a chair near the bed. Dally made a moaning sound and turned his back to me, fingering a cigarette. I didn't understand how he could smoke after he had just been in a fire. Boys.

"Look, they came to me at Buck's and asked to get away. Just killed a Soc. So I helped them out, said I would come visit when things quieted down. The Fuzz took me in to the station asking where they were. Apparently Dallas Winston has a hand in every crime in this city [not entirely false, I thought to myself]. I told them I didn't know where they were, didn't know nothin', but they still roughed me up a bit until they let me go." Here, he paused and pointed to a yellow discoloration on his temple, which made me hate the police in Tulsa even more. "I thought that was as good a time as any to go visit them. Took 'em out for lunch at DQ, gave 'em some more money for food, and when we was drivin' back there was this huge fire at the church. Of course those two dimwits went in to save some kids or something. And I ain't losing Johnny to some stupid fire, so I went in after them. That really did me some good. I can hardly feel my…my…" Dally seemed to notice me again, and passed off whatever he was going to say with a series of coughs.

"Alright, but I wish you would have told us something. At the very least." I smiled at him and sighed, hearing some sort of loud scraping noise from down the hall.

"Hey, you think I wanted to get my ass handed to me by some angry brothers? No thanks." Dally lit the smoke with some lighter he had pulled out of a hidden niche and rolled back over, smirking at me.

"And you know that's exactly what would'a happened, Dallas." Darry grinned, punching Dally lightly on a healthy spot of skin.

"They wouldn't have been the only ones, though!" Steve piped up, getting into a fighting stance and flexing his muscles. I groaned and shut my eyes, not wanting to be involved in this demonstration of testosterone. "I'm just glad you're okay, alright? Darry, we should be taking Ponyboy home soon. Where is he, anyways?"

"Said he was going to check out some book in the gift shop, and to get him later. You're right, you have school tomorrow." Darry's expression turned into one of concern.

"Aw, girlie was _worried _about me! Ha!" Dally clapped his hands in amusement, but flinched when he pulled his skin too tightly.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Dally. Maybe I'll visit you when I come to see Johnny tomorrow." As I shuffled out the door after Steve and Darry, I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Seeya, man!" Steve called back. Dally smiled again, folding his arms behind his head on the pillow and settling down.

"Like hell you'd better. Sleep well, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>So? How did you like it? For this chapter, I want to hear about the ICness. There was quite a bit of conversation, so if you had any specific comments about people being out of character, I would love to know what I can work on for future chapters. Also, any other characters you want to see more of? It helps a lot to know what you guys like to read about. Thanks for making it this far, I love you all!<strong>


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